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“You Got Humbled” – Kamaru Usman’s Announcement After UFC 286 Loss Draws Polarizing Reactions

Published 03/19/2023, 9:00 AM EDT

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UFC 286 concluded in London with a bang as Leon Edwards proved his first win over Kamaru Usman was no fluke. Edwards secured a majority decision in their trilogy on Saturday at the O2 Arena, making it a successful first title defense in his home country. With ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ succumbing to the Englishman for the second time, this defeat has surely caught Usman to his core.

In response to his loss, Usman has put out a note of acknowledgment, holding himself accountable for his failure. The 35-year-old Nigerian fighter also lauded ‘Rocky’ on his victory over him, showcasing true sportsmanship. However, this gesture from Kamaru Usman didn’t receive an all-positive response from the fans. The fans were critical of Usman prior to the matchup, too. And it appears that the critique persisted after the battle as well.

Kamaru Usman gets a divided response from the MMA community

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Kamaru Usman experienced his third career defeat and his second consecutive loss to Leon Edwards in their trilogy match at UFC 286 in London. Reflecting on this unfortunate outcome, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ took to Twitter to share his thoughts and accept the accountability of his defeat. However, the reaction from the fans was not all sunshine and rainbows.

Usman wrote, “A special thank you to my management, family, friends, and fans. I appreciate each and everyone of you. Wasn’t my night but as always we go back to work. Congratulations @Leon_edwardsmma great work 🤜🏿🤛🏿👏🏿”

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Check out the response it got from the UFC fans:

It surely had some positive responses from a section of fans:

Wherein some fans were rather critical of Usman:

Despite the setback, Usman fought fiercely against Edwards, giving him a run for his money and coming close to reclaiming the UFC title.

What happened at Usman vs. Edwards 3?

The trilogy fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards was a closely contested battle that saw both fighters have their moments. In the first round, Usman circled his opponent, picking his shots and landing heavy body kicks. However, Edwards was able to land a heavy body kick that hurt Usman in the second round, but the Nigerian fighter recovered and secured a takedown.

The third round saw Usman land another takedown, with Edwards grabbing the fence and getting a point deducted by referee Herb Dean. As the fight went into the championship rounds, the Englishman dropped Usman with a leg kick, but ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was able to bounce back up.

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Edwards continued to put together crisp combinations in the final round, while Usman was relentless in his takedown attempts, but Edwards was able to defend well and keep the fight on the feet. The score at the end of the five-rounder was 48-46, 48-46, and 47-47.

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With a narrow margin separating him from victory, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is bound to feel the sting of his recent defeat. The fans were concerned about Usman going into the fight with his knee injury, which he had been nursing for a while. But that did not appear to be a contributing factor to his loss. Regardless, it’ll be worth seeing what the future holds for him next. What do you make of Usman’s statement? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch this story: 5 Worst Injuries In The UFC

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Written by:

Mayur Soni

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Mayur Soni is a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. His interest in the UFC heightened when he first saw his favorite fighter Conor McGregor knockout Jose Aldo in mere 13 seconds, in 2015. He thus got hooked on the sport.
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Edited by:

Amal Joyce