At the UFC 286 event in London on Sunday morning, Nigerian mixed martial artist Kamaru Usman was unable to retrieve his welterweight title, falling to reigning champion Leon Edwards, who successfully defended his belt, by majority decision after five rounds.
The 35-year-old lost 48-46, 48-46, and 47-47 at the O2 Arena to his British opponent after the scores from the three judges came in. Although Usman had most of the takedowns, Edwards did well to counter his submission attempts and landed cleaner strikes in the much-anticipated fight.
The bout was the third meeting between the two fighters, with Edwards currently leading 2-1 after Usman won their first-ever encounter. However, the 31-year-old Briton ended the Nigerian’s lengthy reign as champion with a knockout victory in their previous fight in Salt Lake City in August 2022.
UNDISPUTED!!????@LeonEdwardsMMA defends his welterweight title in great fashion! He beats Kamaru Usman via majority decision at #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/HDIjcI583c
— UFC (@ufc) March 19, 2023
Edwards made a quick start to the fight with two powerful body kicks in the first round, but Usman weathered the storm early on, taking Edwards down in the second round before the two fighters traded huge blows to end the round.
The third round began in the same fashion, with the Nigerian Nightmare grappling Edwards to the ground and the Brit penalized with a point deduction for holding onto the fence. Edwards survived two more takedown attempts by Usman in the final round before catching him with a powerful uppercut. The Nigerian, however, replied with a big shot to Edwards’ body as the fight came to an end.
After the fight, the two fighters showed respect to one another, with Usman revealing he gave his all for a victory while assuring he’ll be back.
“I think I did enough to win the fight,” he said. “I’m not done.
“I knew it was a close fight. Great game plan. I’ve always said it from the start, I knew I’d see Leon again and I’m not done. I’ll see him again.
“I’ve always given him props for everything he’s been able to accomplish. He’s just like me. It’s in his blood. Much respect, London. You’ve got yourself a great champion and a hell of a guy.”
Edwards improved his ongoing unbeaten streak to 12 fights to make it the first time since 2016 that a British UFC champion has defended a world title on home soil.
