Leon Edwards successfully defended his welterweight throne against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286.
The two contestants fought in a high profile MMA encounter that completely entertained fight fans. Edwards’ kick-heavy strategy paid off as it slowed Usman down considerably in the closing rounds. Although Edwards had a point deducted for grabbing the fence in the second round, he still managed to prevail on the judges’ scorecards by majority decision.
While judges Ben Cartlidge and Chris Lee scored the fight 48-46 in favor of Leon Edwards, David Lethaby scored the draw.
In the UFC, a majority decision occurs when two of the three judges score the fight in favor of one of the fighters, while the third judge declares the fight a draw. In such a fight, the fighter who comes out on top on the scorecards of the majority of the judges ultimately wins.
On the same night, Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev engaged in a back and forth which was ultimately won by the tougher fighter. For the entire 15 minutes, the lightweights went to war, but Gaethje’s power and continuous offensive attack gave him the edge.
Judge Paul Sutherland scored the first two rounds in Fiziev’s favor but handed the third round to Justin Gaethje at 10-8, resulting in a majority decision victory for the American with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-28. .
Conor McGregor avenged his loss to rival Nate Diaz at UFC 202 via split decision. With six split/majority decisions, UFC286 is tied with The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finals for the most in UFC history.
Colby Covington throws shade at Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman ahead of their UFC 286 main event clash
Colby Covington has returned to being controversial and unfiltered himself, making a surprise return as a backup fighter for the UFC 286 main event clash between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.
Covington hasn’t fought since winning a unanimous decision victory over arch-rival Jorge Masidal in a grudge bout at UFC 272. The former interim UFC welterweight champion has previously fought twice for the uncontested title against Kamaru Usman.
Now that Leon Edwards has captured and defended the welterweight championship, Covington is determined to fight ‘Rocky’ next. While previewing Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman in a recent interview, Covington said:
“You know, I don’t really have a prediction. I just want to see a good fight. You know, I hope they [Edwards and Usman] beat their hearts. Because now they have to come see dad next. They must come to see the man. The man who drew all their notes. Everyone was talking about me this weekend. They weren’t talking about themselves. Nobody cares about them. They have no charisma. These guys, they don’t do anything.”
Check out the interview below:
