Leon Edwards Delighted For His First Title Defence Against Kamaru Usman

On March 18th, 2023, Leon Edwards will be defending his title for the first time in UFC 286 at The O2, London, against Kamaru Usman.

The previous match between the two fighters occurred in August at UFC 278, where Edwards won with a surprise head-kick knockout.

In chief support, Justin Gaethje will face off against Rafael Fiziev. The winner of this bout may have the opportunity to compete for the 155-pound championship belt.

Edwards finally got his chance to fight Usman after winning ten consecutive fights. Despite this achievement, it has been a difficult and lengthy journey for him.

Unfortunately, his plans for a breakthrough fight in 2020 against Tyron Woodley were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have further delayed his pursuit of a title.

With that being said, Edwards was looking forward to the fight: “London, what’s up! Let’s go. I’m honored to be here. It’s been a long time coming.

“I worked hard to get here and Saturday night, I’m going to make them proud, for sure. It’s coming home, it’s coming home. It’s going to mean the world.

“Like you said, it’s been a long time. Now here we are, March 18 I come back as champion. And still. It’s going to be an amazing experience, it means the world to me.”