UFC star Kamaru Usman has apologised over the leakage of the video of the conversation he had with former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua following a tragic car crash involving the boxer on Lagos -Ibadan expressway.

Two of Anthony Joshua’s friends- Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele – died in the crash.

A video shared by Kamaru Usman in a YouTube video showed Joshua, covered in bandages, speaking to him while on admission at an hospital in Lagos.

The discussion between the two held ahead of an MMA event involving Usman in Lagos on December 30.

However, the leakage of the private discussion has offended some Nigerians. There were speculations that the video was leaked by a close friend of the UFC star.

But in a post on his X handle on Thursday, Usman took responsibility for the leakage of the video.

The UFC star also claimed that it ‘slipped his mind’ that his conversation with Joshua was recorded.

“After seeing what’s being written it’s quite heartbreaking. Being on camera that whole day in preparation for The AKO show, it completely slipped my mind that my conversation was recorded. I realized after and asked about it. I take full responsibility for not properly watching the video that was released and keeping my private conversation with my brother AJ private. SMH 🤦🏿‍♂️big L on me. That’s not something I would ever do to a friend/ brother,” he said.

In the since-deleted video, Joshua told Usman that the reality of the loss of his two associates had yet to fully sink in.

When Usman asked about the seating of Ghami and Ayodele in the car, Joshua replied: “One was in the front and one was behind him, on the right side. They both passed away. It still hasn’t sunk in. It still hasn’t hit me yet.”

Joshua also reflected on the fragility of life during the few seconds video: “Life is short man, life is short. And now look, I get to speak with you for the first time.” Usman responded, “We thank God,” acknowledging the seriousness of the moment.

The former heavyweight champion said the accident made him reflect on public perception, saying, “It’s crazy because obviously, we deal with the haters and all the bull**** each and every time, and it sucks that it takes something serious like this to really see how many people have their eyes on you.”

Joshua has since returned to the United Kingdom.

On Sunday, he shared a photo on social media standing with the families of the deceased, captioning it “My Brother’s Keeper”, showing solidarity with the bereaved families.

The two deceased associates of the heavyweight champion were buried in London on Sunday.