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HomeOrganizationsUFCUFC 286: Leon Edwards keeps his title against a slow-moving Kamaru Usman

UFC 286: Leon Edwards keeps his title against a slow-moving Kamaru Usman

Leon Edwards retained his welterweight title by winning a majority decision over Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 on Saturday in London.

It was the third chapter in a rivalry that took an unexpected turn last summer when Edwards suffered a violent knockout. to Usman, with 56 seconds left in the final round. Usman had largely led Edwards in 2015, en route to easy unanimous decision success.

“I dodged his leads, blocked his kicks and my shots were sharper. I knew it was tight but I kept the pressure on him,” Edwards said.

Former interim champion Covington, who lost to Usman in 2019 and 2021, dismissed both fighters as “idiots” and said he would be willing to step into the cage at a moment’s notice – but Edwards seemed bemused and said he would decide his next defence after a deserved win when his only moment of concern was a one-point deduction for holding the cage.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1637245274216120322

“I thought I had done enough but I knew it was close,” Usman said of his side. “He had a great game plan. I’m not finished, we’ll meet again. But I must say that London, you have quite a champion. »

We felt Usman almost frozen and very slow in the first two rounds, and he took a big knee on the second assault with a good left hook. Usman had a bit of a boost, but Edwards remained more precise and calculating.

Usman landed a highly technical third-round takedown in the first minute, but Edwards got up easily with the help of the fence, losing him a crucial point in a round dominated by the ex-champ . The rhythm of the fight was more than once broken this evening due to warnings against Edwards for blows below the belt and for grabbing his opponent’s gloves.

In the fourth, Usman got hot when he lost his balance throwing a kick that Edwards tried to block. Edwards was more accurate overall and he excelled at defending the leads. On the fifth onslaught, he continued to throw good high kicks to keep Usman at bay.

Gaethje wakes up in time

Justin Gaethje survived a slow start to win a majority decision over Rafael Fiziev in an excellent lightweight duel.

The judges handed cards 29-28, 29-28, 28-28.

“He was a perfect dance partner, it was sure to be entertaining. He’s young and hungry, he’s a dangerous guy,” Gaethje pointed out.

“I’m doing one last race for the title, but I won’t be here for very long,” then warned the 34-year-old athlete.

Fiziev was very explosive with quick combinations in the first round, while Gaethje hit the target less with his fists apart from some good kicks.

Gaethje got stronger at the start of the second bout, but Fiziev continued to land big shots with consistency.

Gaethje got rattled again to start the third, but he still landed some accurate jabs. Accustomed to violent wars, he showed all his endurance and finally exploded in time while Fiziev let himself be led without really replying. After a first takedown which did not succeed, the American completed one in the last seconds.

“Your punches are a damn shame,” Fiziev complimented as he went to see Gaethje before the decision was made.

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