Leon Edwards successfully defended his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 on Saturday night. He did so with a dominant performance, scoring one of the most impressive comebacks in MMA history.
It was a huge night for the UK MMA scene, as Edwards made history by becoming the second British champion. It was also a great night for UFC, as Justin Gaethje proved he still has some tread left on those tires and Rafael Fiziev fought a bloody decision over his rival in the co-main event.
Round 1
The final round of the UFC 286 main event saw a flurry of takedown attempts from Kamaru Usman. Edwards evaded a few of them and kept the pressure on until he eventually caught him with an uppercut that sent him to the floor.
Edwards, backed by a hometown crowd, picked apart Usman throughout the night. He landed powerful leg kicks and avoided much of the former champion’s signature offense.
Edwards was deducted a point in the third round for a flagrant cage grab, but he recomposed himself in the fourth and managed to keep Usman at bay. He threw more powerful leg kicks and mixed in low shots to make Usman miss and pay.
Round 2
Leon Edwards retained his UFC welterweight title by defeating Kamaru Usman in London’s O2 Arena, taking the fight to a dramatic conclusion with a head kick that knocked Usman out cold. The victory came after a thrilling first round that saw both fighters scoring impressive takedown defenses.
The second round began with a huge low kick from Edwards that set the tone for the rest of the bout. Usman was forced to defend several takedowns against Edwards’ well-honed gameplan, and the Brit managed to escape each and every one of them thanks to his smart shot selection and solid defence.
Edwards was also able to capitalize on Usman’s attempts to clinch and land a few big body kicks as well.
The co-main event featured a surprisingly successful performance from Justin Gaethje, who defeated Rafael Fiziev in a lightweight battle that saw him leave the Russian bloodied and bruised as he was able to land a few heavy shots. This victory was a welcome reprieve from a three-fight losing streak.
Round 3
Leon Edwards defended his UFC welterweight title with a convincing win over Kamaru Usman on Saturday night. He leaned on great defensive wrestling and superior striking to keep Usman away from the cage and secure the title.
In a thrilling final round, Edwards pushed Usman out of the ring with a huge head kick in less than a minute to win the fight on points. His victory means he is the undisputed champion at welterweight for the first time in four years.
The co-main event saw Justin Gaethje turn back the clock to win a hard-fought battle with Rafael Fiziev, who is still looking for one last shot at the lightweight world championship. In the middleweight division, Marvin Vettori held onto his place in the pecking order with a split decision win over Roman Dolidze.
Colby Covington weighed in as the UFC’s surprise backup for Edwards and he watched on as the Briton’s kicking attack kept Usman at bay and his evasions of Usman’s takedowns secured a majority victory on the scorecards. This isn’t the end of the story in the welterweight division, though, as there’s another welterweight title fight on the docket with Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal.
Round 4
Leon Edwards successfully defended his UFC welterweight title against Kamaru Usman in front of his home fans at the O2 Arena on Saturday. The Brit’s cleaner shots and escapes from Usman’s takedown attempts proved crucial in a tense battle that was contested on all three scorecards.
The fight opened with a good flurry of striking exchanges between the two fighters before Edwards got his leg kicks going. That pinned Usman on his rubber legs for a few seconds before he landed a counter left that briefly stunned “The Nigerian Nightmare”.
The former champion responded with a hard low kick to Edwards’ body, then another in response. He tries to back up Edwards with his jab, but the hometown fighter remains on his feet. He then lands a hard body kick and then blocks a front kick to the body from Usman.
Round 5
Leon Edwards has retained his UFC welterweight title with an impressive points victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 286. The England native won the rematch at the O2 Arena in London, extending his 12-fight unbeaten run to the tune of a majority decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47).
While Usman certainly dominated Rounds 2, 3 and 4 of this fight, Edwards had a cool and efficient gameplan to largely limit his opponent’s strengths. He kept his distance from Usman’s takedown attempts and absorbed a lot of the pressure.
The bout went the distance, with a third-round point deduction deducted from Edwards’ scorecards after he was found hanging on to a fence. It was a nervy, action-packed round that saw both fighters get into some great action.
Round 6
In the main event of UFC 286 at The O2 in London, welterweight champion Leon Edwards is put on the line against former champion Kamaru Usman. The two had previously fought each other on three occasions, with Usman winning in their first encounter in 2015 and Edwards knocking him out in a dramatic fifth-round head kick last August.
The 31-year-old Edwards started well, connecting with two heavy body kicks in the opening round, while his greater speed unsettled Usman. However, Usman took him down briefly in the second before both fighters traded some heavy blows.
In the third round, Usman tried to take Edwards down with a knee to the thigh but Edwards defended superbly and quickly got back to his feet. Edwards kept his distance and landed a low blow, followed by a fence grab that prevented Usman from scoring the takedown.
Round 7
Leon Edwards has retained his UFC welterweight title with a majority decision victory over Kamaru Usman. The 31-year-old defeated his Nigerian opponent at the O2 Arena in London to retain his throne for a second straight time and extend his win streak to 12 fights.
Edwards opened Round 7 with a good amount of pressure. He started off with a head kick that landed cleanly and mixed in some low kicks for good measure.
However, he was not able to establish much momentum for his attacks as Usman pressed forward, landing one takedown attempt. He also got a point deducted for an illegal fence grab.
Both men exchanged a few hard front kicks to the body before Usman was able to fend off a oblique kick by Edwards. He was also able to score some good takedown defence against the fence late in this round.
Round 8
Leon Edwards defeated Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 286 on Saturday at The O2 Arena in London. The welterweight champion took the win by majority decision to remain unbeaten in 12 straight fights and earn his third title defense.
The Brit was dominant throughout the fight, keeping Usman on his back with a variety of striking exchanges. A knee to the chin in the opening minute wobbled Usman, but Edwards was also using kicks to the body and legs to take control.
After the first round, Edwards’ chin started to feel the burn from some of Usman’s punches. He began relying on his grappling more to stay in the game, but he was still forced to take on some significant pressure at times.
In the third round, Edwards was deducted a point by Herb Dean for a flagrant cage grab on a takedown attempt from Usman. It was one of several fouls Edwards received in the round.
Round 9
Reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards successfully defended his title against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 on Saturday night in London. Edwards used an offense filled with powerful leg kicks to score a majority decision victory over Usman.
The 31-year-old Edwards made an encouraging start with two heavy body kicks in the opening round. His greater speed unsettled Usman, who took Edwards down briefly in the second round before both fighters traded some heavy blows.
As the fight progressed, the chemistry between the two fighters became more and more balanced. They landed almost the same number of strikes each round.
A huge, fight-changing moment occurred in the third round when referee Herb Dean deducted Edwards a point for a flagrant cage grab on an Usman takedown attempt. It was one of many fouls Edwards faced during the fight, and it added to warnings he received about groin strikes and a glove grab.
