UFC 286 took place this past weekend in London, England, with Leon Edwards defending his UFC Welterweight Championship against Kamaru Usman in their trilogy bout. Read our review of UFC 286 below.
Find all the results from UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 here.
In the main event, Leon Edwards put on a striking clinic on his way to a majority decision victory. Although Usman pressured Edwards throughout the fight, he could not keep up with his striking and failed to consistently secure takedowns, leaving him to fall behind on the scorecards even with an Edwards point deduction in Round 3.
The rest of the UFC 286 main card saw perennial contenders again prove themselves against rising stars. In the co-main event, Justin Gaethje proved himself a top contender once again by defeating rising striker Rafael Fiziev in a fight that absolutely lived up to expectations.
We also saw Gunnar Nelson, Jennifer Maia and Marvin Vettori secure impressive victories over Bryan Barberena, Casey O’Neill and Roman Dolidze in the opening bouts of the UFC 286 main card.
Several of the UK’s best prospects featured in the early prelims and prelims were victorious, fighting in their home PPV, with the likes of Jack Shore, Muhammad Mokaev and Christian Leroy Duncan securing impressive victories.
Read our review of UFC 286 below.
Leon Edwards Cements his Place on the Welterweight Throne
Leon Edwards put on the performance of his life to defend his UFC Welterweight Championship and cement his place as the new King of the Welterweight division. Over five rounds, Edwards utilised his diverse striking and incredible takedown defence to control the fight and secure what ended up being quite a dominant, decision victory.
Usman entered UFC 286 after the first knockout loss of his career, something many fighters do not fully bounce back from. But he looked as good as ever, pressuring Edwards for the full 25 minutes. While Usman had his moments on the feet, including hurting Edwards in the fourth round, his path to victory was on the ground, and he could not secure takedowns.
In their second bout at UFC 278, Edwards faced some cardio issues due to fighting at altitude in Salt Lake City, Utah. This allowed Usman to implement his wrestling game and work towards what would have been a unanimous decision had Edwards not landed the head kick that ended the fight.
However, without the altitude, Edwards’ cardio faced no issues. It allowed him to defend takedowns and get up from the ground throughout the fight, preventing Usman from implementing his game plan.
Edwards faced some adversity in the fight due to his fouls. He landed several low blows from the left body and leg kicks he wanted to land to set up that same head kick. This caused several Usman protests, with Edwards eventually being deducted a point in the third round due to a blatant fence grab.
Once it went to the judges’ scorecards, the MMA community mostly agreed that Edwards had won the fight, with the point deduction being the only cause of concern. Thankfully, the judges got the decision right.
With a win, Edwards proved himself as what many thought he would eventually become, one of the greatest fighters ever. In defeating Usman, who many considered alongside Georges St-Pierre as the Welterweight GOAT, Edwards builds his legacy and will put himself in that conversation should he be able to go on a similar run of title defences.
In an out-of-character, for the UFC, well-kept secret, former title challenger Colby Covington weighed in as the UFC 286 main event backup fighter. During the post-fight press conference, Dana White indicated that Covington is likely next for Edwards, despite his apparent lack of interest.
Either way, Edwards’ star will only grow, and it is his time to rule the UFC Welterweight division.
For Usman, he has to go back to the drawing board. Turning 36 years old in May, it is unclear how much longer he will go on, with his knee and hand injuries being a topic of conversation before this fight. The competitor he is, I am sure Usman will be back among the top of the Welterweight division.
Find all the results from UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 here.
Justin Gaethje Delivers a Banger Once Again
In the UFC 286 co-main event, Justin Gaethje did what Justin Gaethje always does, deliver a fight for the ages. Against a prolific finisher in Rafael Fiziev, Gaethje showed his usual toughness and the incredibly high level of striking he indeed possesses.
Coming into the fight, many believed Fiziev was a part of the new generation that was taking over the Lightweight division from the old guard. In the first round, it looked like the fight was going in that direction, with Fiziev proving he has some of the best striking in the UFC.
Gaethje returned in the second and third rounds with his usual aggression to control the fight. His pace wore on Fiziev, whose volume fell away, allowing Gaethje to get ahead on the scorecards.
Gaethje added to his lengthy list of all-time great wars with another fight of the night on his record and reaffirmed his position at the top of the Lightweight division. With Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush fighting in a title eliminator at UFC 288, a rematch with Dustin Poirier would be perfect for Justin Gaethje.
Rafael Fiziev, in a loss, put on an outstanding performance against one of the best fighters in the world. While he will have to fight backwards in his next bout, Fiziev truly put himself on the map.
Find all the results from UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 here.