Kamaru Usman will be in unfamiliar territory tomorrow night (Sat., Mar. 18, 2023) at UFC 286 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside The O2 in London, England, as the veteran fighter competes for the first time coming off a knockout defeat and loss of his UFC welterweight title.
It’s no secret that Usman is one of the best welterweight fighters of all time, but the former UFC champion is trying to salvage his overall legacy this weekend in London when he meets Leon Edwards for the third time. Usman defeated Edwards in their first meeting all the way back in 2015 before “Rocky” shocked Usman with a head kick knockout at UFC 278 last year to win the 170-pound title. It is the only time in Usman’s career that he’s been finished by strikes.
Entering this weekend, Usman caught up with UFC color commentator and former UFC middleweight champion, Michael Bisping. The two shared a rather unique discussion about what it felt like to get flatlined inside of the Octagon. Usman talked about his recent loss to Edwards while Bisping referenced his legendary knockout loss to Dan Henderson back at UFC 100.
‘If I’m in the ambulance, something bad has happened’ @bisping and @USMAN84kg are a touch of class #UFC286 | Saturday, 7PM | BT Sport Box Office pic.twitter.com/LLRmasnPYq
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) March 17, 2023
“I was the exact same way,” said Bisping (shown above courtesy of UFC). “I was in the back of an ambulance with Frank Mir, he’d just been beaten up by Brock Lesnar, and I was sitting in the back of [the ambulance] and I just went, ‘F—k! Yeah, I get it. I remember! I remember what’s happened. Damn!’”
As of now, Usman remains the betting favorite to win his trilogy bout with Edwards at UFC 286. The odds of Edwards finishing Usman by knockout again are as high as +500. Those are the same odds for “Rocky” if he wins by decision. Needless to say, the oddsmakers don’t believe Usman will lose on London soil and they certainly don’t believe he’ll be slept by another head kick.
What do you think?
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 286 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 286: “Edwards vs. Usman 3” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 286 fight card and PPV lineup click here.