UFC legend Kamaru Usman has explained why Carlos Prates should fancy his chances against Leon Edwards at UFC 322.
Tomorrow night, Leon Edwards will attempt to get back in the win column after two dominant defeats at the hands of Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady. While there’s no guarantee that he’s going to get past Carlos Prates, his fans will feel good knowing he’s going against a striker as opposed to another wrestler.
RELATED: Leon Edwards fires back at Carlos Prates for claiming he’s past his prime: ‘I’ll go out and remind him who I am’
Someone who has been in there with Leon Edwards on multiple occasions is Kamaru Usman. While ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ won their first meeting, ‘Rocky’ famously knocked him out with a head kick in the rematch before a confident and disciplined victory in the trilogy fight.
In a recent podcast, Usman gave his thoughts on the Edwards vs Prates bout at UFC 322.
Usman’s view on Edwards vs Prates
“For Leon Edwards, Leon has struggled with pressure grapplers,” Usman said on the Pound 4 Pound Podcast.
“With guys that are gonna come forward, guys that are gonna change levels, take you down, hold you down, and beat you up. I’ve shown that. Muhammad showed that and Sean Brady has just shown that.
“It’s gotta be a slight relief for Leon, understanding that I’m not going up against a guy who wants to take me down, who wants to hold me down and beat me up,” Usman explained.
“But the difference is you got a different type of striker,” Usman said of Prates.
“You got a striker that loves to throw knees, loves to throw elbows. A striker that’s ultra confident. A new type of striker, a kid that has no fear.
“I think this fight favors a guy like Carlos Prates because not only has he shaken off that loss [to Ian Machado Garry], which was a learning lesson.
“Since then, he’s bounced back against Jeff Neal with that tremendous knockout. And now, he’s going up against another southpaw who’s not primarily known for his power, not primarily known for his aggression.
“He’s more of a slick guy,” Usman said of Edwards after fighting him three times.
“I think this is a better, a favorable matchup for Carlos Prates.”
Quotes via Bloody Elbow