Following Justin Gaethje's victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291, fans promptly drew parallels to Leon Edwards' head kick against Kamaru Usman.
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Following Justin Gaethje’s victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291, fans promptly drew parallels to Leon Edwards’ head kick against Kamaru Usman. However, Gaethje revealed that he and Usman didn’t extensively discuss this aspect in the aftermath of the event.
Concluding UFC 291 with a flourish, “The Highlight” delivered an electrifying performance as he swiftly dispatched Poirier with a well-timed head kick merely a minute into the second round. This memorable bout unfolded at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, the very arena where Edwards managed to astonish everyone during UFC 278. Edwards secured victory by connecting a head kick in the closing moments of his match against Usman, seizing the UFC welterweight title.
Edwards’ triumph bore a much more intense flair, particularly considering he appeared on the brink of a decision loss within the last minute as per the judges’ tallies. Nevertheless, the outcome of that fight resurfaced in fans’ minds as Gaethje executed a similar maneuver to avenge his previous defeat to Poirier in 2018.
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Usman, Gaethje’s fellow teammate, graced the event and joined in the celebrations of the 34-year-old’s victory at UFC 291. In a recent interview with Brett Okamoto, “The Highlight” was queried about whether he and Usman had engaged in discussions regarding the remarkable resemblance between their respective finishes.
“I mean I think in a text message he said something about me – that it was my fault that all of it got brought up,” Gaethje said. “But nah, I mean just light hearted. It’s a crazy game that we play. I think two different instances of time, I don’t think there’s any correlation other than they were the same. But that had nothing to do with this, and so yeah I mean the fact that it was in the same spot was pretty crazy. But I got him in the second round and he got him in the fifth round. [Edwards’] was cleaner thought, I’ll give him that. Kamaru definitely did not get his hand up like Dustin did.”
Even though Edwards was seemingly on the path to a decision loss before executing that pivotal head kick, this very narrative cast him as the underdog in his subsequent rematch against Usman. However, Edwards established his dominance as the UFC welterweight champion, further cementing his position by clinching a majority decision victory at UFC 286.
Securing the BMF title by delivering a knockout blow to Poirier, Gaethje’s victory at UFC 291 holds a more significant reward for the 34-year-old. His true triumph lies in positioning himself as the rightful contender for the ensuing lightweight title clash between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira at UFC 294.
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