5 things Leon Edwards must do to beat Kamaru Usman

#2. Leon Edwards must use his grappling

No one will ever confuse Leon Edwards for a better wrestler than Kamaru Usman. However, to add an extra dimension of danger for his opponent on Saturday, 'Rocky' must make use of his vastly improved wrestling, least of all because Usman never counter-wrestles. Instead, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' merely defends, stopping takedowns while rarely initiating scrambles to force his opponent into compromising positions.

One of Usman's primary methods of defending takedowns is immediately rolling onto his hands and knees to stand back up. Unfortunately, doing so exposes his back, rendering him vulnerable to rear naked chokes, and two of the three submission wins on Leon Edwards' record are RNCs. Thus, 'Rocky' doesn't need to take Usman down successfully; he only needs to force Usman to defend takedowns by rolling onto his hands and knees.

Once Usman attempts to push himself back onto his feet, Edwards can pounce, mounting his foe's back, which Demian Maia did before referee Dan Miragliotta separated them, and which Jose Caceres did to successfully choke the Nigerian unconscious. Lastly, preoccupying Usman with the threat of his grappling will also create more openings for Edwards' striking.

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#1. Avoid becoming lackadaisical

At UFC 263, Leon Edwards was booked into what should have been his signature win opposite Nate Diaz. The Stockton legend was an overmatched and undersized opponent who has not, since his return to the weight class, defeated anyone at welterweight other than Anthony Pettis, a lightweight currently signed to the PFL, whose record sits at 3-5 since the loss to Diaz.

No one but Nate Diaz himself expected him to win, so when Leon Edwards turned in a dominant performance as many had predicted, 'Rocky' seemed on course for the most recognizable win of his career. While that was indeed the case, Edwards had a momentary lapse in the fight that led to Diaz rocking him badly in the final round. Despite Edwards' dominant performance, all anyone remembers from the bout is how Nate Diaz nearly knocked out 'Rocky'.

He cannot afford to do the same against Usman, least of all because Usman possesses far more knockout power than the more volume-oriented Diaz. Furthermore, Usman will not taunt or posture in front of a hurt foe; he will instead pounce and finish what he started. If Edwards hopes to win this Saturday, he cannot afford to have even a single lapse in concentration.