Daniel Cormier hits back at idea that Leon Edwards win over Kamaru Usman was a fluke: “It’s not the first time he has knocked somebody out with this kick”

By Josh Evanoff - August 24, 2022

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe Leon Edwards’s knockout against Kamaru Usman was a fluke.

Daniel Cormier, Leon Edwards, UFC

In the main event of UFC 278 last Saturday night in Salt Lake City, ‘Rocky’ faced ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’. The matchup was a rematch of their previous outing in 2015 on UFC on Fox 17. In their first matchup, Usman scored a unanimous decision victory.

However, last weekend in Utah, the Brit evened the series at 1-1. In the fifth round of their championship headliner, Edwards scored a stunning head kick knockout. With that, he became UFC welterweight champion.

In the days since the victory, many have claimed the head kick was a fluke. Fans have pointed to the fact that Leon Edwards was down heading into the final round, and opined that the strike was a lucky shot.

However, Daniel Cormier doesn’t buy into that talk at all. The UFC commentator discussed the championship fight on the DC & RC podcast. There, the former champion hit back at the idea that the victory was a fluke.

The 43-year-old noted that yes, Kamaru Usman was up heading into the final round. However, ‘DC’ also pointed to the fact that Edwards has scored head kick knockouts in the past. With that in mind, the result wasn’t a fluke.

Leon Edwards

Image Credit: Leon Edwards’ Twitter (Photographer not listed)

“He went out there and gave himself a chance,” said Daniel Cormier on DC & RC. “I don’t know if he threw that combination with the idea that it would land [clean] because nothing had worked from round two all the way on. But, he landed that shot perfectly. I have seen him do this before.”

“This is not the first time that he has knocked someone out with this kick. He has done this on numerous occasions… It was crazy to watch.”

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Daniel Cormier Kamaru Usman Leon Edwards UFC