Defending his welterweight title at UFC 286 on Saturday, Britain’s Leon Edwards triumphed after a gruelling five-round matchup with Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman.
According to the judges’ scorecards from UFC 286, Edwards prevailed via majority decision.
In their fight in Salt Lake City in August of last year, he had shockingly defeated Usman.
The Nigerian was defeated by the British in the fifth round with a sensational head kick to win the title, but Usman was soon given a rematch.
This time, Edwards would be fighting on home soil, and the O2 Arena in London accorded him a hero’s welcome as he entered the octagon.
His nickname, “Rocky,” was cheered by the audience as he circled his opponent in the opening round, selecting his shots and scoring powerful body kicks towards the finish of the round.
Usman, who is renowned for his prodigious wrestling abilities, twice forced Edwards to the ground in the middle of the second round.
But, the Jamaican-born Britishman always managed to get back on his feet.
Early in the third round, Usman had his opponent on the ground once more. Edwards was penalised for grabbing the fence in an attempt to stand up by referee Herb Dean.
The fourth round changed into a cagey contest as Usman pressured and Edwards continued to kick at the body as the two men grew weary.
He intended to deliver the same head kick that ended their previous encounter.
Early in the final round, Edwards attempted that precise kick twice, but this time Usman avoided injury.
Unfazed, Edwards persisted in using a combination of body blows, brutal uppercuts, and great defensive wrestling to eventually defeat his opponent.
In the co-main event, American lightweight Justin Gaethje defeated fellow Kazakh Rafael Fiziev by majority decision following a spectacular three-round exhibition of both fighters’ elite striking.
