The time has finally come for Kamaru Usman and UFC Welterweight champion Leon Edwards as they are set to compete in their highly anticipated trilogy bout tomorrow night at UFC 286, which takes place at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Their previous encounter at UFC 278 saw Edwards avenge his loss as he defeated Usman via knockout after dropping him with a perfectly timed head-kick with less than a minute remaining in the fight to become the new Welterweight champion. Prior to the 5th round, ‘Rocky’s corner could be heard giving him a motivational speech, which clearly worked as he pulled off the upset in the final minute.
‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ will look to regain the title, but he will have to fight on enemy territory in order to do so, which adds another interesting element to both the fight and rivalry as a whole. It will be interesting to see how Usman handles the crowd, who will definitely be rallying around their countryman.
Edwards could silence the doubters should he defeat Usman again. He already proved that he is capable of finishing him, so it could make him a lot more confident with his decision making during the fight. Meanwhile, the former Welterweight champion might be hesitant as he will try to not make the same mistake he did in their previous bout.
Usman might shoot for takedowns right from the start in order to avoid any striking exchanges that would make the reigning champion comfortable. On the other hand, Edwards might be more aggressive to start as he will definitely be feeding off the energy from a sold out O2 Arena.
Who do you think will win the trilogy fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman?
Photo Credit: @ufc – Twitter, and UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship – YouTube
