UFC 286: Edwards vs Usman, Gaethje vs Fiziev previews

UFC 286 Embedded: Vlog Series – Episode 1

This coming weekend, Leon Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) will defend his welterweight title against former champion Kamaru Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) at The O2 Arena, London.

The fighters have previously met twice, with UFC 278 being their latest bout. Now, they will reunite at UFC 286.

In their last fight, “Rocky” did well in the first round with a takedown that caught “The Nigerian Nightmare” off guard, allowing him to take an early lead.

However, Usman quickly regained control and dominated the fight for 19 minutes. Edwards appeared to have given up, and commentators Din Thomas, Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier suggested that he had already accepted his impending loss by unanimous decision.

‘I want to put on a show and win convincingly!’ 🔥🔥 | Leon Edwards talks Kamaru Usman at UFC 286!

Jon Anik, however, hinted that Edwards wouldn’t give up easily just before delivering the powerful high kick that knocked Usman out. The kick turned a potential unanimous decision win into one of the most unbelievable moments in recent MMA history.

According to UFC Stats, Usman had 10 minutes and 36 seconds of dominating performance, landing 83 strikes. In comparison, Edwards had 2 minutes and 55 seconds of control and landed 55 strikes.

UFC 286 will also have former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) fighting Rafael Fiziev (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

London’s first UFC pay-per-view event in six years will be Gaethje’s first appearance in the octagon since his loss to Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira in May 2022, where he came up short in his bid for the lightweight title.

Gaethje has an impressive record of 10 post-fight bonuses in as many fights. He received CBS Sports’ Fight of the Year twice, in 2017 and 2021.

Meanwhile, Fiziev, nicknamed “Ataman,” has earned five bonuses in seven UFC appearances and is currently on a six-fight winning streak, which includes notable victories against Rafael dos Anjos, Brad Riddell and Renato Moicano. UFC 286 will be the biggest fight of Fiziev’s career so far.

Another exciting showdown is between Roman “The Caucasian” Dolidze and Marvin “The Italian Dream” Vettori. Vettori (18-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) suffered two losses in his previous three fights against former champions Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. He is looking to re-establish himself as a top contender by defeating the Dolidze (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).