Kamaru Usman’s two-year UFC Welterweight reign ended last August when Leon Edwards knocked him out. Seven months later, The Nigerian Nightmare has a chance to get his revenge, can he pull it off?
Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman 3 Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Leon Edwards | +196 |
| Kamaru Usman | -260 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: The O2 Arena in London, England
- Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023
- Time: ~10:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Leon Edwards Defending His Title for the First Time
Leon Edwards is 20-3-1 in his professional career which started in 2011. Only three years later, he joined the UFC, where he’s 12-2-1. One of his UFC losses happened to Kamaru Usman in 2015. The Nigerian Nightmare beat him by unanimous decision in that right and was just 56 seconds away from doing the same in their second fight.
It was August 20, 2022, when Edwards defeated Usman with a shocking KO with 4:04 on the clock in the fifth round. Before that, Usman was literally killing him. He landed 83 significant strikes, which was 28 more than Edwards. Further, Usman made five takedowns, while Edwards made only one.
The Englishman can count himself lucky for getting a win, but you can be 100% certain Usman will take the next fight even more seriously. That said, Edwards will have to up his game. He does seem to be in top shape right now, not to mention that he’s gonna have his fans there to support him at The O2 Arena. But will that be enough to retain his UFC Welterweight title?
Kamaru Usman Ready for Payback
In March 2023, Kamaru Usman is sitting in the No. 5 place in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. Before the KO loss to Edwards, he was at the top of the P4P list for almost a year. This fact on its own explains why Usman is favored to get back his title on Saturday.
The championship belt was in his possession for over two years. He won it in March 2019 against Tyron Woodley. Then, he went on to defend the title five times, beating the following opponents – Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), and Gilbert Burns (once).
Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman 3 Prediction
Both fighters are great striking-wise, but each of them has won most of the fights by decision. We think the same is going to happen this weekend in London.
Usman is the better fighter, but he will probably be way more cautious than the last time. As a result, it seems very likely the fight will go the distance. The judges will probably score in Usman’s favor, although we wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being a split decision.
Pick: Kamaru Usman to win by decision