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FILE – Kamaru Usman of Nigeria (R) fights Leon Edwards of Jamaica (L) in their welterweight title fight during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena on August 20, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Alex Goodlett/Getty Images/AFP
A rematch of the bout that featured one of the most incredible finishes in UFC history headlines UFC 286 on Saturday in London.
England’s Leon Edwards (20-3) will have the home court advantage at the 02 Arena when he faces Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman (20-2) in the evening’s main event in the UFC welterweight title matchup.
The meeting is the third between the couple.
Usman, a 35-year-old who fights out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., won a unanimous decision when both were UFC newcomers in 2015.
In a rematch at UFC 278, Usman walked away in his title defense before Edwards stunned the MMA world by knocking Usman out with a perfect head kick in the final minute of the fifth round to claim the title via knockout.
Leon Edwards of Jamaica celebrates after winning the welterweight title against Kamaru Usman of Nigeria during UFC 278 at Vivint Arena on August 20, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Alex Goodlett/Getty Images/AFP
Both competitors have had great UFC careers. For Edwards, 31, the 2015 loss to Usman was his last. He has won 10 straight, not one of them was thrown away.
Saturday’s fight should answer two big questions: 1. Could his head be a fluke? 2. How did Usman react after being brutally eliminated for the first time in his career?
“They won the war, but who cares?” Edwards said at the media day. “It goes down when you go out cold, head shot and that’s important. When it’s all over, the winner wins, and even on the worst day, the worst performance, I still beat you.
The feature bout of the evening was an exciting lightweight bout pitting former interim champion Justin Gaethje (23-4) of Colorado against Rafael Fiziev (12-1) of Azerbaijan.
Gaethje is known as one of the sport’s most versatile fighters and has earned UFC post-fight bonuses on 10 occasions. However, he has dropped two of his past three matches, and in Fiziev, he meets an opponent who looks like a real contender on the rise. Fiziev has won six straight matches, three by forfeit.
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