Kamaru Usman could be held back by KO flashbacks against Leon Edwards at UFC 286, says Jack Shore (Exclusive)

Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards clashed for the welterweight title at UFC 278 in August last year.

After a strong opening round, Edwards clearly started getting outclassed by 'The Nigerian Nightmare' before pulling off a shocking head-kick KO in the final round. 'Rocky' had previously labeled it the worst performance of his career, partially blaming the altitude of the venue.

The welterweight champ is justifiably a +200 underdog going into his first title defense against Usman at UFC 286 this weekend. However, Welsh prospect Jack Shore believes the tables are now turned in Edwards' favor as the card will go down in his backyard in London.

'Tank' also expects Usman to be under some pressure after suffering a brutal head-kick KO seven months ago. Shore recently spoke to Andrew Whitelaw in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA and had this to say:

"Now that he has scored that knockout, roles have switched. There's no altitude over here. I think the pressure is probably gonna be on Usman. You know, as good as Usman is, you can't tell me that knockout five or six months ago, isn't in the back of his head. So yeah, I think he's gonna do it, I hope he does it."

Catch Jack Shore's comments below:

Jack Shore will get to fight in front of his home fans this Saturday, taking on Makwan Amirkhani on the UFC 286 prelims. 'Tank' will look to bounce back from his lone career loss to Ricky Simon in July last year that ended his 16-fight unbeaten run.

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Kamaru Usman calls London "home" ahead of UFC 286 clash against Leon Edwards

Leon Edwards has never lost a fight in the U.K. across his amateur and professional career. 'Rocky' believes the English support will help him retain his title when he faces Kamaru Usman on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Usman isn't very concerned about fighting in enemy territory. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' claims to be happy for British MMA fans even if they are cheering against him. Calling London "home", Usman recently told Sky Sports:

"My fans! These are my fans. Everybody keeps saying you're coming to enemy territory, I'm at home, this is London. This is my people here, they love me, they tell me all the time they want me to come to London and put on a performance for them. I asked for this, I could have waited and done it in Vegas, but no, 'Let's go to London.'"

Catch Kamaru Usman's comments below:

Catch UFC 286: Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 live in India on Sony Sports Network from 2:30 AM onwards on Sunday, March 19.