UFC 286 picks: Fighters predict the Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 headliner
Welterweight champion Leon Edwards is set to make his first title defense this weekend as he takes on Kamaru Usman in their trilogy bout at UFC 286.
Their clash headlines the night at The O2 arena in London, England, where 'Rocky' will make the walk to the octagon as the champion in front of his home fans.
Edwards stunned the world at UFC 278 when he captured the title, knocking out 'The Nigerian Nightmare' with a head kick to snatch victory in the final round.
"𝘽𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡..."
INCREDIBLE footage of Leon Edwards' team drilling THAT head kick KO 🤯💥 https://t.co/iZ7QE4Wpdc
With the pair now level in their head-to-head series at one win apiece, fighters and fans alike have been trying to predict the outcome of the trilogy. MMA Crazy has now compiled the picks into one video.
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev discussed the bout last month, branding it a complete "50-50":
"Last fight, Usman almost beat him, but now Edwards will be more comfortable. It's going to be a good fight. I don't know. It's 50-50." (0:25)
'The Highlight' Justin Gaethje, who is taking on Rafael Fiziev in UFC 286 co-main event, also weighed in. According to the lightweight star, Kamaru Usman is the better fighter and will likely win:
"Kamaru is the better fighter... I think it's a dangerous fight for him [Usman], more dangerous than the last one and confidence is such a big factor in this sport... Ultimately, other than that 'it' factor, I think Kamaru wins." (1:30)
Welterweight Kevin Holland went against the grain and backed Leon Edwards to cause an upset once again:
"Usman is a great athlete, great fighter... I think Leon Edwards gets it done again. Head kick probably, maybe a punch this time or submission. I don't know, I just think he gets it done." (5:00)
Catch the fighters making their predictions here:
Kamaru Usman sends chilling message to Leon Edwards
Following his defeat to Leon Edwards at UFC 278, Kamaru Usman remained eerily silent whilst preparing for their upcoming rematch.
The Nigerian's loss to Edwards snapped his 19-fight win streak and handed him both the first UFC and KO loss of his career. Now back and looking to become the welterweight champ once again, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' had some stern words for his opponent.
During episode three of UFC 286: Embedded, the 35-year-old stated that he plans on ending Leon Edwards' title reign early and in a violent fashion:
"He's speaking from ordinary perspective. You know, he's around ordinary people who've done ordinary things, and they think ordinary."
He added:
"I'm not ordinary, I'm extrordinary. And so, March 18, I get to go prove that to myself, I get to prove that to him as well. You know, whether he's sad or whether he's happy that he takes to the belt for at least six months, you know, now it's gone. And he's gonna say, 'Damn, that guy was extrordinary.'"
Catch Usman's comments here (4:55):