Can Usman reclaim his welterweight crown?

Nigerian-American Kamaru Usman will look to reclaim his welterweight championship when he faces Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC 286 at the O2 Arena in London, England on the evening of Saturday 18 March 2023.

Edwards (20-3, 1 NC) claimed a stunning win over Usman (20-2) to dethrone the division king when the pair met at UFC 278 in August 2022. It was the second clash between the fighters, with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ having beaten ‘Rocky’ via unanimous decision when they first met in 2015.

Last year Usman appeared to be on course for a second such victory over Edwards – and what would have been a sixth successful defence of his title – before the Englishman caught him with a stunning kick deep in the fifth and final round to take a shock knockout win... and with it, the division gold.

Edwards says he is delighted to have this trilogy clash with Usman on home soil: “I'm very excited, it's my first defence, back in London… I want to go out there and do what needs to be done and gain victory.”

He added, “If I was in his [Usman's] shoes, I'd probably be like, 'I was gonna win that last fight, and then I got caught'. But it doesn't matter, at the end of the day, he got knocked out. Until the bell goes, nobody wins, that's my mentality.

“I've proven myself time and time again, it's about carrying on proving it, and seeing how far I can take this.”

The co-main event will be a lightweight clash between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. Gaethje (23-4) will be looking to work his way back into contention for the lightweight championship, having been beaten by both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in title fights within the past 30 months, while Fiziev (12-1) is a rising star in the division with a six-match win streak – including a knockout of former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in July last year.

“[The expectation] is the same as always,” stated Gaethje of his clash with Fiziev. “Trust in the preparation, the hard work the lifelong commitment that I’ve put into this. Go in there, and put that motherf***er to sleep.”

He continued, “We’ll see [if I get a title shot with a win], who f***ing knows. I don’t care. This fight is the only thing that matters to me right now… I do what I do, March 18th I’m going to blow the roof off the O2 Arena. Every person in attendance will get their adrenaline rush and their money’s worth.”

The rest of the main card features Joanne Wood v Luana Carolina in a women’s flyweight fight; Gunnar Nelson v Bryan Barberena in the welterweight division; and a middleweight opener between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze.

UFC 286 - Main card

- Main event: Welterweight championship: Leon Edwards v kamaru Usman
- Co-main: Lightweight: Justin Gaethje v Rafael Fiziev
- Women’s flyweight: Joanne Wood v Luana Carolina
- Welterweight: Gunnar Nelson v Bryan Barberena
- Middleweight: Marvin Vettori v Roman Dolidze

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