UFC 286 is just around the corner and fans couldn’t be more excited for the super-stacked card UFC has put together. With this event, The UK will host its first numbered event since UFC 204. Birmingham’s own Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards looks to prove that his win over Kamaru Usman wasn’t a fluke. While Kamaru attempts to regain his belt and sit at the top of the welterweight mountain again.
Even though an elite champion’s life seems all gold and glory, the reality says otherwise. Only the close ones know the sacrifices made throughout the journey. Kamaru’s case is no different. The Texas resident has paid his fair share of being away from his family while he’s busy training or preparing for a fight.
Recently, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ appeared on ‘The Pivot Podcast’ where he shared a behind-the-scenes of his UFC 278 KO loss. Visibly emotional, he shares a challenging moment about his daughter watching the brutal moment from the front row. He says –
“She’s only been to maybe 4 fights? and that was probably the only moment that’s broken my heart, dealing with her. So while I’m in the hospital, I got to watch, because you know, fans are, that’s the thing with this sport, the fans are ruthless. because I’m in the hospital and I’m seeing the clip. and the camera pans out into my family and my daughter’s crying. and that broke my heart big time. Fans would pause and screengrab it and then post it. and that was the only thing that broke my heart.”
My little princess is 4 years old today đđŒđœ. Woooow where did 4 years go!! pic.twitter.com/JVQinlCX5w
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) July 29, 2018
He further elaborates, “I didn’t care that I lost. I’m with my manager in the hospital. and I saw that and my heart just stopped. I was like ‘oh shit’. and I get back and I go to the house I’m staying at. And I’m looking for her and she’s lying down in my bed already. and I go into the room and she’s sleeping. and I just lay down next to her and we pass out.”
“We wake up in the morning and I just have a conversation with her right there. And I talk to her that its okay, daddy’s fine. you see me I’m here, next to you. she tells me she loves me. she made me feel so soft inside. she’s good the next day, she’s moved on.” added Usman, while holding back his tears.
Kamaru Usman regrets spending less time with his wife and daughter
Despite being in the spotlight more now than ever, Kamaru’s wife chooses to stay on the low. She goes by the name Eleslie Dietzsch. Born on November 22, 1986, the Brazilian is a year older than the former champion. They welcomed their baby daughter Samairah in 2014. Considering Kamaru’s Nigerian roots and Eleslie’s Brazilian, the apple of their eye is half-African and half-Latin
While the couple seems to share a lot of photos of Samairah on their social media, they don’t share many posts of each other. It is obvious that they want to keep their married life private and thankfully, the fans have chosen to respect that.
On the recent UFC 286 Countdown episode, Kamaru opened up on a particular regret he had about being absent during family time. He explains how training camps lead to him missing out on some really special “growing up” moments with his daughter. He vows to be “as present as possible”, moving forward.
Who do you think wins this weekend at UFC 286? Does Leon repeat history in front of his home crowd? or does Kamaru make enough adjustments to regain his belt? Let us know in the comments down below.
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