Kamaru Usman vows to “stop” Leon Edwards at UFC 278 to prove he’s pound-for-pound best

Kamaru Usman is confident he will prove to Leon Edwards and everyone else that he is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC on Saturday.

Usman is looking to defend his welterweight title in the main event of UFC 278 as he rematches Edwards. Ahead of the fight, Edwards has been vocal in saying Usman isn’t as good as people say he is.

“All this pound-for-pound talk, I don’t see it. I don’t see it in his fights, I don’t see it in his techniques. He’s a very good fighter, he has improved,” Edwards said at UFC 278 media day. “I’m not going to into this flight blind thinking he’s another wrestler, but I just don’t see it.”

Kamaru Usman is atop the pound-for-pound rankings in the UFC and in the UFC 278 promo video, he said his goal is to finish Edwards to prove he is the best pound-for-pound fighter.

“In that first fight with Leon Edwards, I was merely a wrestler trying to compete in mixed martial arts. I think Leon Edwards is a great fighter, but as a champion, it is my job to let him know that it’s not his time yet,” Usman said on the UFC promo video. “He can wrestle now, he can grapple now, and his striking has gotten a lot sharper, but of course, so has my striking, and my grappling. If Leon still believes I’m still that guy it might be a short night for him. Every now and again you have to bite down on your mouthpiece and show the world why you are the best in the world. I see myself stopping Leon Edwards because I’m the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artist on the planet.”

If Usman does finish Edwards on Saturday night, it will only strengthen his claim as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

Do you think Kamaru Usman will finish Leon Edwards at UFC 278?