LONDON, UK (BUS) – Another great card continues in this sensational UFC version of March Madness, where we have seen Jon Jones comeback, Valentina’s legendary title reign come to an end, and now the culmination of the trilogy between welterweight champion Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman. The champ is not getting much respect from the bettors as Usman is a 2-1 favorite over Edwards, who is fighting in his home country. The first fight was a lopsided 3-0 Usman victory. In the rematch it was more of the same, as Usman dominated all five rounds until he got caught with an Edwards head kick which ended the fight, sending the strap over to Leon and setting up the rubber match on Saturday. Expect Usman to take that knockout as a wake-up call and get back to his old form as he brings the belt back around his waist.
Main Card Preview, Including Edwards Vs. Usman
The main card in UFC 286 does not disappoint as the lightweight event features #3 Justin Gaethje and #6 Rafael Fiziev. The fight should stay on the feet all the way as both fighters love to stand and bang with their opponents, combining for a combined fifteen performance bonuses. Look for Fiziev and Gaethje to trade many blows to the head until Fiziev prevails with the knockout as Gaethje’s gas tank has proven to be a problem for him in his previous fights.
Marvin Vettori looks to get back on track as he faces the streaking Roman Dolidze, who has won six of his last seven fights. This will be the toughest test to date for Dolidze, as Vettori has only lost to former champions Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya in the last seven years. If Dolidze can come out with another win, he looks to take the next step up for his title aspirations. Vettori is no joke, and I believe that Dolidze is just not experienced enough to take out such a worthy opponent in Vettori.
The UFC 286 Prelims feature a lot of local United Kingdom talent. Undefeated Lerone Murphy takes on UFC newcomer Gabriel Santos, who is also undefeated. It is a big step up in competition for Santos and surprisingly Murphy is only a -150 favorite in front of is home crowd. It is already tough enough in your UFC debut, now add in the crowd, and the fact that Murphy looks to be a future featherweight contender.
Other Notable Fights
Another fighter to look out for is Jack Shore to make easy work out of Makwan Amirkhani, as Jack gets back on track in the bantamweight division. Expect more of the same in the flyweight bout between undefeated Muhammad Mokaev and Jafel Filho out of Brazil. Mokaev should have plenty of control time with a possible submission rather than going the distance. It all depends on how long of a workout Muhammed is looking for. A big underdog to look out for is flyweight veteran Malcolm Gordon taking on a young Jake Hadley. Hadley has shown promise but has not faced any serious level of competition to be a -400 favorite. Look for Malcolm Gordon to show his experience and stop the Hadley hype train in its tracks.
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