The Main Event of UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 concluded with a five-round chess match of a fight between former champion Kamaru Usman and Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards.
As the pair met for the third fight, the stakes were higher than ever with the previous meetings tied 1-1 and a championship belt on the line. For 25 minutes, the two exchanged blows on their feet and engaged in quite a bit of wrestling. Rather unscathed, it was clear that both fighters came into the fight with a methodical and cautious game plan, not over-committing to any one tactic and continuing to mix up where the fight took place.
After the final horn blew, we took to the judges' scorecards for a decision. Bruce Buffer read 48-46, 48-46 and 47-47 to proclaim “And Still!” for the winner by majority decision, Leon Edwards. It was a back-and-forth affair throughout that saw both men land clean shots, but in the end it was Leon Edwards who landed the more damaging shots.
With Edwards winning the rubber match and retaining his belt, it effectively put his rivalry with Usman to rest for the time being as the UFC will give a shot to another title challenger waiting in the wings. Let's take a look at two fights Leon Edwards must have as newly minuted champ after winning his belt back at UFC 286.
Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington
Dana White announced during a post-fight interview that Colby Covington is most deserving of the next title shot and that UFC will work to make that fight happen.
Covington has been next-in-line for quite some time now, and the UFC tried to make another fight happen between he and Kamaru Usman. However, with his first loss to Usman, being assaulted by Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards winning the belt, it put Covington in a holding cycle as the UFC worked to crown a definitive Welterweight Champion.
With Covington now healthy and in attendance at UFC 286, he will be the next man to challenge for the Welterweight title, a feat he fell just short of in his first fight against Usman.
The wrestling of Covington will be another staunch challenge for Edwards, and it will be interesting to see the pace both men set with their superior gas tanks. There's talks of this fight happening in July for International Fight Week and with Edwards leaving his fight uninjured and unscathed, it should be a perfect time for the two to battle.
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad
At No. 4 in the Welterweight rankings, it's hard to deny that Belal Muhammad has done enough to finally earn a title shot in this Welterweight Division. With Khamzat Chimaev moving up to Middleweight for his next fight and Covington being the next challenger, it leaves the UFC with two options for Muhammed: Give him the winner of Covington/Edwards or have him face Shavkat Rakhmonov to determine the next title challenger.
Since 2019, Muhammad has won eight consecutive fights and is constantly calling for his respect as he feels he's done enough to earn a crack at the belt. While his game is often labeled by fans as boring, there's no denying the effectiveness in the way he is able to stifle opponents' game plans. He's put away the likes of Stephen Thompson, Vincente Luque and Sean Brady in his last three fights and would be unsatisfied in having to face yet another killer before getting a title shot.
Nevertheless, it would prove to be a great matchup if he were to face either Leon Edwards or Colby Covington in his next fight.
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