On Saturday night, Leon Edwards defends his title against Kamaru Usman in the UFC 286 main event, and we’re telling you exactly how to watch the action.
On August 20, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ attempted to make the sixth consecutive defence of his welterweight championship against Britain’s number one mixed martial artist. And in the grand scheme of things, Usman made it look pretty easy. He rag-dolled his opponent from one side of the cage to the other, as he ground his way to what looked likely to be a fairly comfortable decision victory.
Slowly but surely, Edwards grew demoralised. Looking out of his depth and lacking ideas, his body language told the story of a beaten man. Therefore, when he returned to his corner at the end of the fourth round, the English fans who’d stayed up through the night, had become acceptant of the inevitable result. But following an impassioned speech from his coach, everything changed.
In possibly the most remarkable comeback in UFC history, ‘Rocky’ landed a devastating head kick, rendering his legendary opponent unconscious.
The commentators, left in complete disbelief, couldn’t believe their eyes as Usman tumbled towards the canvas and Edwards celebrated, having claimed the belt and made a lifetime’s work worthwhile.
The crowd screamed the house down as the new champion delivered the iconic line: “Pound-for-pound, headshot, dead.”
But while he enjoyed the moment, he couldn’t rest on his laurels.
This weekend, a refocused Usman is travelling to his backyard, and he wants to make things right.
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UFC 286: UK start time
While many British combat sports enthusiasts still rage over the fact that a stadium fight at the Principality fell through, at least they’ll get to watch the card at a normal time.
The event, taking place at the O2 Arena in London, will commence at 6 PM, with the main event scheduled for 9 PM.
How to watch UFC 286
UFC 286 is a pay-per-view show, which will broadcast live on BT Sport Box Office for a price of £19.95. You can purchase the show HERE.
UFC 286: Full card
While most are tuning in for the headline attraction, there’s a plethora of undercard bouts for fans to get their teeth sunk into.
In the pick of the bunch, ‘The Human Highlight-reel’ collides with hot prospect, Rafael Fiziev.
Main card
- MAIN EVENT: Leon Edwards (c) vs Kamaru Usman – for UFC Welterweight Championship
- Rafael Fiziev vs Justin Gaethje
- Joanne Wood vs Luana Carolina
- Gunnar Nelson vs Bryan Barberena
- Roman Dolidze vs Marvin Vettori
Preliminary card
- Jack Shore vs Makwan Amirkhani
- Sam Patterson vs Yanal Ashmoz
- Chris Duncan vs Omar Morales
- Lerone Murphy vs TBD
Early preliminary card
- Muhammad Mokaev vs Jafel Filho
- Christian Leroy Duncan vs Dusko Todorovic
- Malcolm Gordon vs Jake Hadley
- Jennifer Maia vs Casey O’Neill
- Jai Herbert vs Ludovit Klein
- Julianna Miller vs Veronica Macedo
Featured Image Credit: UFC