Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rashad Evans was sitting cageside next to Kamaru Usman's daughter as she watched her father be brutally knocked out by Leon Edwards on Saturday.
The legendary ex-fighter is a close friend of Usman's and works under the same management stable; Dominance MMA. He was in Salt Lake City to watch what was expected to be another title defence for the Nigerian fighter, who hadn't lost since his second fight as a professional in 2013.
But Edwards hadn't read the script and with less than a minute to go in a fight that Usman was winning relatively comfortably, he landed a vicious head kick to become the new champion. Evans was sitting with his pal's family, and told of how his eight-year-old daughter Samirah let out a loud scream when she saw her father get knocked out.
"Being there was unbelievable because I'm sitting there right next to his family and his daughter's sitting right there next to me," Evans told Morning Kombat the following day. "And when that whole thing happens you just hear this scream, it was just kind of very traumatic for me, just being a brother to Kamaru, watching him go down like that, man. It just made me feel real sick."
Conor McGregor was one of many spectators who believed that at her age, Usman should have considered leaving his family at home as he went to compete in such a brutal sport. His eldest son Conor Jr tends not to go to his fights, while his daughter Croia and youngest son Rian would have been far too young when he last competed in July 2021.
For his trilogy bout at UFC 264 with Dustin Poirier he even told his fiance Dee Devlin, a regular staple of his fight week crew, to stay home. He had engaged in an intensive training camp locked away in California, and didn't want any family comforts around for his return to action.
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Of Usman's daughter, McGregor wrote: "I feel this deep. I do not suggest bringing family whatsoever. Especially the children. This is different fighting. I’ve done both sides of this and feel going to the mission solo is best. You can see family again post battle. Will definitely be continuing this way going forward."
Usman has since shared photos of he and his daughter together flying home from the fight, and congratulated Edwards with classy messages on social media. "Damn I love this sport!" He wrote in one tweet. "Things happen but… Alhamdulillah we move! Congratulations Leon Edwards."
In another, he shared two pictures of he and his daughter on a private jet with the caption: "I am truly overwhelmed by all the support. I am ok,just got caught in the right spot. These things happen. We will learn from them and do what greatness requires."
