Kamaru Usman was less than a round away from defeating Leon Edwards for the second time last August, a victory that would have inched him closer to Georges St-Pierre in the all-time great welterweight debate.
Instead, Edwards landed a hail Mary head kick, dropping the champ and securing victory — and setting the stage for the biggest UFC fight the U.K. has ever seen. That fight arrives Saturday at UFC 286, as Usman and Edwards throw down for a third time, with welterweight gold and bragging rights on the line.
Leon Edwards will no doubt get a hero’s welcome at the O2 Arena in London, while Usman looks to bounce back from the first loss of his UFC career — and just second loss as a pro overall.
Also featured on Saturday night’s card in London, England will be a pivotal lightweight match-up featuring #3-ranked Justin Gaethje taking on #6-ranked Rafael Fiziev. The surging Kazakh fighter has won five straight post-fight bonuses on his way to the top, and will be looking to break into the top five against Gaethje, returning from his loss to Charles Oliveira last May.
Ahead of this Saturday’s UFC 286, the promotion is set to hold a pre-fight press conference open to media and fans on Thursday, March 16, 2023 — a live stream of the affair is available above.
