At UFC 286 in London, Leon Edwards triumphed in their three-fight series to put a stop to their animosity and successfully defend his welterweight title.
Since defeating Usman with a last-second knockout to earn the welterweight championship in August, Edwards was attempting to make the first defense of his belt. As the trilogy fight began, the London audience filled The O2 arena with chants of “Headshot, dead” in support of the home fighter.
Both fighters were hesitant in the opening round, but Edwards struck hard immediately, injuring Usman with a body kick before the latter did well to recover. Edwards was putting together his combinations nicely, but referee Herb Dean advised the Englishman not to grasp Usman’s glove’s interior.
Usman was knocked out by a strong combination that Edwards put together, but “The Nigerian Nightmare” returned and stunned Edwards with a jab before first bringing him down. As Edwards rose to his feet and delivered a powerful left hand, the back and forth in the second stanza resumed. When the third round began, Usman was getting into his stride as he switched levels and successfully executed a single-leg takedown.
Edwards lost a point because he improperly clutched the fence as Usman brought him down, according to referee Herb Dean. Although Usman continued to deliver effective jabs, Edwards landed a good one through the center.
Usman was knocked down by a leg kick from Edwards as the fight entered the championship rounds, but the Nigerian-American quickly got to his feet.