Ahead of the intense rematch between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards at UFC 278, Dan Hardy took time to analyze their first meeting, providing an intriguing breakdown of the 2015 matchup.

'The Nigerian Nightmare' is arguably the most dominant champion in the sport at the moment, and has been proving that with elite-level performances in recent years. Only Colby Covington has been equal to the titleholder in the octagon. Despite losing on both occasions, 'Chaos' put up one hell of a fight both times.

In anticipation of the upcoming rematch later this month, Dan Hardy released an eye-opening breakdown of Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 1 on his YouTube channel, announcing how the Brit won the opening round of the bout:

Hardy pointed out that even though Edwards ended up on the floor, he did not look lost on the ground against an elite wrestler like Usman:

'Rocky' is known for his slick striking and evasive movement on the feet, but his submission game is incredibly underrated and something the welterweight champion should keep in mind heading into their second clash.

Check out what Dan Hardy had to say about the 170lbs title fight in the video below:

Similar to the first outing, Kamaru Usman may need to utilize his grappling and nullify the striking threat of Edwards. However, there are other routes to victory for the pound-for-pound king.

Since training with Trevor Wittman, the 35-year-old has come leaps and bounds in the striking department. He is now comfortable keeping the fight standing with anybody in his division.

After seeing Leon Edwards get rocked and almost lose to Nate Diaz during their fight at UFC 263, Usman could overwhelm the challenger by mixing his wrestling and striking throughout the five-round contest.

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