Leon Edwards sent a statement to all the doubters and the welterweight division at UFC 286, defeating Kamaru Usman in their trilogy fight by majority decision.
Fighting in front of the London crowd at the O2 Arena certainly didn’t hurt. But it was Edwards, skills and endurance that helped carry him to the decision win.
Usman attempted to pressure Edwards throughout the five-round affair but Rocky was able to turn back his advances with a combination of body kicks, boxing and takedown defense that frustrated Usman.
There was a little bit of controversy.
Edwards was deducted a point for grabbing the fence in the third round and later landed a low blow kick that frustrated Usman. That puts a small damper on the win, but Edwards still scored enough in the eyes of two judges to get the nod and retain his championship belt.
While the first win against Usman came from a well-placed high kick in the fifth round, this was a case of Edwards winning the fight for the majority of five rounds.
It opens up a whole new world of possibilities in the welterweight division and puts serious respect on Edwards’ name.
Bleacher
