Leon Edwards erases doubts in masterful UFC 286 title defense

Some of Leon Edwards’ first words after he usurped the welterweight crown last August morphed into half-speech, half-bellow.Great as his comeback, head-kick knockout of Kamaru Usman was, Edwards should have offered a warning that what was to come would manage to top it.

That version of Edwards stayed behind in Utah, replaced with a confident champion who clearly was the better fighter throughout the bulk of the full 25-minute duration.If not for several Edwards fouls that necessitated a point deduction in the third round, all three judges would have awarded Edwards the win. With the penalty, he still managed 48-46 on two scorecards and a 47-47 for a majority decision in his favor.

Not to say Usman was out of contention. Between rounds two and four, it was anyone’s fight. Usman’s wrestling wasn’t as effective, with few takedowns succeeding and none keeping Edwards down for long enough to take advantage. Only four of 15 shots recorded as official takedowns, and Usman laded just one significant strike while on the ground.But the former champion still hits like a truck, and he tagged his rival several times while standing during the middle 15 minutes of a gripping battle.

If one of those double-legs had gotten Edwards flat on the mat, granting Usman license to land bombs from above, maybe we would be talking about a two-time champion.Edwards clearly won the first and fifth rounds thanks to his overall more impactful strikes, including knees to the chin and an elbow to the dome in the final frame. He nearly repeated the fifth-round head kick feat after a stinging uppercut, but the challenger managed to block enough of it.

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