Leon Edwards remains the undisputed UFC welterweight champion off the back of tonight’s UFC 286 headliner with former titleholder and three-time opponent, Kamaru Usman — defeating the Auchi native in their trilogy rubber match in a close, majority decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47) victory in the main event at The O2 Arena.
Edwards, who had stopped Usman’s dominant title reign back in August of last year with a stunning fifth round high kick KO win in Salt Lake City, Utah — was forced the distance for the second time against the ONX Labs trainee, following a 2015 decision loss to Usman.
Defending his welterweight crown for the first time, Edwards was deducted a point the second round of tonight’s headliner with Usman — grabbing the Octagon fence to defend a takedown in the sophomore frame.
Extending his undefeated run at the welterweight limit to 13 consecutive fights, Edwards brushed off an immediate title defense against former interim champion, Colby Covington — who was in attendance in London, weighing up a potential return against either Gilbert Burns, or Jorge Masvidal — who fight next month at UFC 287 in Miami, Florida.
Below, catch the highlights as Leon Edwards defends his title at UFC 286
For the final time, we go into the Edwards corner before a HUGE Round 5.
Can
@Leon_EdwardsMMA do it again? #UFC286 pic.twitter.com/AfWm2CWNE3
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 18, 2023
2⃣5⃣ minutes in the books!
Drop those scorecards NOW
— UFC (@ufc) March 19, 2023
