Leon Edwards RETAINS the UFC welterweight title after beating Kamaru Usman by majority decision at UFC 286… as ‘Rocky’ makes first defence of his belt at a packed out O2 Arena in London
- Leon Edwards defended his UFC welterweight title after a majority decision win
- The British fighter came out on top in a five-round bout with Kamaru Usman
- Edwards suffered a point deduction in round three but still managed to win
Leon Edwards defended his UFC welterweight belt after beating Kamaru Usman by majority decision at UFC 286.
The British fighter came out on top after the five-round war, with the three judges scoring it 48-46, 48-46 and 47-47 at the O2 Arena.
Edwards suffered a points deduction during the third round, after holding onto the cage, but still managed to come out on top in the huge clash.
The 31-year-old had the majority of the crowd in London cheering him on, as he battled through the 25-minute bout with the former welterweight champion.
‘Rocky’ put an inspired performance to thrill those in attendance, as he stuffed multiple takedowns from the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’.
British welterweight Leon Edwards successfully defended his UFC title on Saturday night
Edwards (L) beat Kamaru Usman (R) via majority decision at the O2 Arena in London
Edwards was hoisted onto the shoulders of his team as he celebrated the historic victory
Usman (L) has now lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his professional fighting career
Edwards, arguably, took the first round after some smooth striking and fierce body-kicks looked to have Usman re-thinking his gameplan.
Into the second round and former champion Usman stepped up the intensity, maintained control of the octagon and kept up the search for a takedown.
The third round caused drama, as Edwards was deducted a point mid-way through the round. Usman had his hands locked round the champion’s back but Edwards held onto the cage in order to prevent the takedown.
Herb Dean immediately called a halt to proceedings and deducted a point from Edwards. Understandably, the home crowd were not happy with the decision.
More to follow…