NIGERIAN mixed martial arts star Kamaru Usman was unable to get his revenge against Leon Edwards in the early hours of today, losing their Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight to the Englishman in London.
Edwards was the underdog but he defied the odds once again when he overcame a crucial point deduction to defeat Usman for the second time in three head-to-head matchups.
In the UFC 286 main event, Edwards defeated Usman via majority decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47) to retain the welterweight title at The O2 in London.
The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ and Englishman Edwards exchanged big shots in the first two rounds in a fierce fight that thrilled the crowd.
A big moment occurred in the third round when Edwards was deducted a point by referee Herb Dean for a flagrant cage grab on an Usman takedown attempt.
The foul was one of many for Edwards throughout the fight, who was also warned about groin strikes and a glove grab.
The bout was the third between Usman and Edwards.
Long before they were contenders, Usman and Edwards fought at UFC on FOX 17 in December 2015. The Nigerian won by unanimous decision in a three-round preliminary card bout.
Almost seven years later at UFC 278 in August last year, they rematched with the welterweight title on the line.
In a huge upset, Edwards completed a comeback with a vicious head kick that knocked out then-champion Usman and earned him the title.
With this latest victory, Edwards has now gone 12 fights without defeat– his last loss came in the first bout against Usman.
Other notable victories during the stretch include over Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos, Gunnar Nelson, and Donald Cerrone.
After the fight, Usman said he thought he had done enough to win but congratulated Edwards and vowed to return for another title run.
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