The highly-anticipated bout between Kamaru Usman and Leoan Edwards lived up to its billing, as the two welterweights put on a show for the packed arena in Las Vegas.
The first round was a back-and-forth affair, with both fighters landing significant strikes. Edwards seemed to have the edge in the grappling department, as he was able to take Usman down multiple times.
However, the second round saw Usman come out more aggressively, as he began to find his range with his striking.
He landed several clean shots on Edwards, who was forced to backpedal and defend. Edwards weathered the storm and was able to regain control of the fight in the third round.
The fourth and fifth rounds were closely contested, with both fighters landing significant strikes and grappling exchanges. Usman was able to take Edwards down in the fifth round and appeared to be close to finishing the fight with ground-and-pound, but Edwards was able to survive until the final bell.
After the fight, both fighters showed mutual respect for each other, with Usman congratulating Edwards on his victory and expressing his desire for a rematch.
Edwards, for his part, praised Usman’s toughness and said he was looking forward to defending his title against the best in the division.
“I think I did enough to win the fight, I’m not done,” Usman said after the defeat.
He also showed good sportsmanship when talking about Edwards’ win: I knew it was a close fight. Great game plan. I’ve always said it from the start, I knew I’d see Leon again and I’m not done. I’ll see him again. he added.
The Nigerian Nightmare has now suffered back-to-back defeats in his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) career and will now look to bounce back with a win in his next fight.
Despite losing the fight, Usman earned a based salary of $750,000, while Edwards received $500,000.
The rivalry between both fighters dates back to 2015 when they first met in the regional Mixed Martial Art (MMA) circuit in the UK. Usman won the fight by unanimous decision.
Their second meeting was in 2019 at the UFC Fight Night 143, where Usman once again emerged victorious, this time by Technical Knock Out (TKO) in the fifth round.
