In August of last year, Leon Edwards stunned UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman with a vicious head kick to capture the title. It was almost without question the greatest victory by a British MMA fighter in the sport’s history. This weekend, he looks to repeat the trick as he makes the first defence of his 185lb gold.
Edwards will be on home soil for this hotly-anticipated trilogy bout. This time it is ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ seeking revenge, and he must travel to the champion’s backyard to get it. Usman won the first meeting between these competitors, back in 2015.
This welterweight war tops a spicy card of capital combat. World class lightweight Justin Gaethje looks to get back into the win column against the dominant Rafael Fiziev. Veteran welter Gunnar Nelson faces five-time Fight of the Night bonus winner Bryan Barberena There’s also a prelim slot for popular Welshman Jack ‘Tank’ Shore.
Here’s everything you need to know about a hot night in old London town.
Where: The O2 Arena, London, England
When: Saturday 18th March, 7pm
How To Watch: BT Sport Box Office, £19.95
Tale Of The Tape:
Edwards:
Place Of Birth: Kingston, Jamaica
Residence: Birmingham, England
Age: 31
Alias: Rocky
Record: 20-3-1
Height: 6’0”
Reach: 74’’
Stance: Southpaw
Last Fight: Edwards scored the best victory of his career, knocking out Usman to win the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Usman:
Place Of Birth: Auchi, Edo, Nigeria
Residence: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Age: 35
Alias: The Nigerian Nightmare
Record: 20-2
Height: 6’0”
Reach: 76”
Stance: Switch
Last Fight: Usman lost the UFC Welterweight Championship he had held for over three years at the hands, and educated feet, of Edwards.
Full Fight Card:
Main card
Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman
Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barberena
Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O'Neill
Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze
Preliminary card
Jack Shore vs. Makwan Amirkhani
Chris Duncan vs. Omar Morales
Sam Patterson vs. Yanal Ashmoz
Muhammad Mokaev vs. Jafel Filho
Early preliminary card
Lerone Murphy vs. Gabriel Santos
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Duško Todorović
Malcolm Gordon vs. Jake Hadley
Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina
Jai Herbert vs. Ľudovít Klein
Juliana Miller vs. Veronica Macedo
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
