He has done it again. Following his out of nowhere knockout win over then-champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, UFC Welterweight champion Leon Edwards defended his title against Usman at UFC 286 on Saturday.
Despite entering the fight as the undisputed champion, Edwards was again the underdog. With his closing odds sitting at +210, his win is the third-largest title fight upset in the welterweight division over the last 20 years, according to ESPN.
Edwards' first title win against Usman last August was the second-largest upset in the division. Only Matt Serra's win over Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69 in 2007 was a bigger upset in terms of odds, with Serra entering the bout as a +850 underdog.
The highly anticipated third battle between Edwards and Usman went the distance and was by far the closest fight of the three. Edwards retained his belt via majority decision, with the two judges scoring the contest at 48-47 in favor of Edwards, the third giving an even 47-47 score.
In their first fight back in 2015, the two went the distance in a three round contest, with Usman winning by unanimous decision.
Then came Edwards' stunning last-minute knockout at UFC 278, the first title victory for Edwards in the UFC.
If there was any doubt that Edwards' first win over Usman was a fluke, “Rocky” put that to bed with his performance on Saturday.
Things get interesting now in the welterweight division. Usman is no longer guaranteed a title shot against Edwards after losing back to back fights against him. Should they fight again though and Usman were to win, the two have the potential to be the first opponents in UFC history to fight each other five times under the promotion.
For now though, Leon Edwards gets to relish in another underdog win. Surely he will enter his next title defense as the favorite, rightfully so.
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