UFC 286 Edwards vs Usman Odds & Preview

Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman will be the main event of UFC 286 in London, United Kingdom on Saturday, March 18. Edwards vs Usman 3 will be a chance for one of these two fighters to prove their superiority over the other because both fighters have one victory over the other.

Usman won the first fight by unanimous decision in 2015 at a UFC on Fox event. The fighters fought again last August. After being smothered by Usman’s wrestling throughout the fight, Edwards landed a head kick and knocked Usman out late in the fifth round to win the UFC welterweight championship. 

(Leon Edwards hits Kamaru Usman with a left head kick late in the fifth round at UFC 278 on Aug. 20, 2022. Image courtesy of Wallpaper by ylianab from Wallpapers.com)

Fights Odds and Preview

The favorite for this championship fight on UFC betting sites is Kamaru Usman. Leon Edwards is a +175 underdog on Betway. Usman is the favorite at -227 despite not being the champion. Usman and a lot of mma experts believe he was in control of their second fight and would likely have won if he wasn’t knocked out by a vicious left head kick late in the last round of the fight.

Right now, Edwards has +500 odds to win by KO, TKO, or disqualification, according to Betway. Usman has -105 odds to win by decision. Edwards has +450 odds to win by decision. The sportsbooks are leaning towards Usman, but a bet on his opponent could yield a big payout. The fight will be on Edwards’ home turf in the United Kingdom, this could have a positive affect on his performance.

(Kamaru Usman holding the Nigerian flag. Image courtesy of Wallpaper by tekton99 from Wallpapers.com)

Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman

Usman is the former welterweight champion. He won the championship from Tyron Woodley in 2019 and held the title until he was defeated by Edwards last year. During an interview on The Pivot Podcast, Usman said losing in wrestling tournaments when he was younger taught him how to bounce back from losses.  Usman is known as one of the best pound for pound UFC fighters, not only welterweights.

He defeated former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal twice, and will look to add Edwards to that list on Saturday. Usman is currently ranked 5 on the UFC’s pound for pound ranking and he is the number one ranked welterweight. Before losing his championship, Usman had not lost a UFC fight for over five years. Usman is a wrestler, but three of his last five wins have come by KO/TKO.

Leon “Rocky” Edwards

Leon Edwards is the current UFC welterweight champion and ranked number four on the UFC’s pound for pound rankings. This fight will be on his home turf in the United Kingdom. According to Edwards, he has never lost a fight in the UK as an amateur or professional. Edwards’ last loss in the UFC was to Usman in 2015 by decision. According to the BBC, Edwards moved to the UK when he was nine.

He won every fight since then except for a no contest against Belal Muhammad. Four of Edwards’ last five wins have come by decision, but he has seven knockout wins and three victories by submission. He has wins over Nate Diaz, Rafael Dos Anjos, and Donald Cerrone. Edwards has a chance to prove to doubters that his win over Usman wasn’t a fluke.

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