Kamaru Usman has dismissed upcoming rival Leon Edwards' claim that fame and fortune has "got to his head".
Usman and Edwards will square off for a second time in a welterweight title clash at UFC 278 in Utah this weekend. The Nigerian will be looking to continue his remarkable undefeated streak in the UFC, seven years on from his points win over the Briton.
As the fight draws closer, Edwards and Usman have been trading verbal barbs as they prepare to settle the scores in their second octagon meeting. The British challenger has claimed the Nigerian has become absorbed in his growing profile comparing him to actor Terry Crews. You know Terry Crews, from White Chicks?," Edwards said during an interview on The MMA Hour.
"He looks like that guy from White Chicks... I don't know what's going on. The money's getting to his head." Usman has since hit back at Edwards' claim, claiming he wants to become a bigger name than former WWE star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. “I was in a movie and everyone says, ‘He is Hollywood now,'” Usman told reporters.
"When I was in college eating $5 Little Caesars pizza and I was surviving off of that for two days, and eating ramen noodles for a whole week, you know what I did? I dreamt of getting to a point where I didn’t have to do that. To where I could walk into any steakhouse wherever I wanted and tell my mom and dad, ‘You guys want to go there? I got you. Let’s go there.
"I have always dreamt of that and always wanted that. So I put the work in to get to that point. I put the work in and I got that. But that doesn’t stop me. I want to be bigger than Dwayne Johnson. I’m not bigger than him, so that means I need more work. So this notion of people who say, ‘You’re Hollywood now. It’s going to his head.’ If he’s thinking that, it’s the biggest misconception – it’ll be a short night for him come Saturday night."
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Usman has recorded 15 successive wins in the UFC and is among those considered the greatest in the promotion's history. A win over Edwards for the second time, who was one of the sternest examinations of Usman's career to date, will represent another big achievement with lots of challenges still to come.
And the Nigerian believes his rival knows exactly what will unfold in the weekend's main event. "He knows what’s going to happen, and I know what’s going to happen," Usman continued. "He’s the next guy up, so he’s the biggest, baddest dude. According to everybody, he’s the biggest, baddest dude. And I think skill-wise he’s very, very good."
