MMA News Round-Up: Leon Edwards Retains Welterweight Title as Dana White Announces Next UFC Fight for “Rocky”, Justin Gaethje & More From UFC 286

The last 24 hours of the MMA world were filled with noteworthy moments and events which were nothing short of epic. UFC 286 got the O2 arena enthralled with the superb fight card on which most fights lived up to the hype. With the exceptional main and co-main event showdowns, a lot may agree that the audiences had got their money’s worth. In this edition of our MMA news roundup, we’ll bring you a summary of the coveted main and co-main event of UFC 286. Lastly, we shall also have a look at what the UFC boss, Dana White, stated about who would be the next fighter to get a shot at Leon Edwards’ welterweight title.

Leon Edwards defended his title successfully against Kamaru Usman

The coveted main event of the UFC 286 had gained a lot of hype among the fans. A large chunk of them would also admit that the Edwards vs Usman trilogy matched their expectations. Although there was no highlight reel finish from Edwards this time. Still, both fighters put out a show of their superb in-ring skills.

The bout showcased the ‘former kickboxer’ Edwards sticking to his strengths and going for a lot of kicks and fists. Whereas Usman, having a wrestling background, couldn’t find much success in his territory. His takedown attempts were pretty skillfully neutralized by the reigning welterweight kingpin of the UFC. However, the area where ‘Rocky’ showcased his domination was his kicks.

After a pretty competitive five rounds, Edwards finally managed to have his first title defense. He also proved that his previous victory over Usman wasn’t a fluke.

Justin Gaethje proved why he is considered the most exciting fighter ever

In a pre-bout video, the UFC 286 co-main eventer, Justin Gaethje, had called himself the most exciting fighter in the history of MMA. A lot of fans might agree that ‘The Highlight’ backed his words with his performance.

READ MORE – Colby Covington Reacts to “Cashed Out” Kamaru Usman’s Loss

The ’34-year-old’ offered an absolute enthraller of a bout against his opponent, Rafael ‘Ataman’ Fiziev’. The three-round affair started off pretty evenly with Fiziev answering nearly all of Gaethje’s strikes. But the bout started to tilt in Gaethje’s favor from the second round.

‘Ataman’ seemed defenseless of the stiff jabs from Gaethje. He also landed a few strikes but was outmatched by the number and power of Gaethje’s strikes. The closing moments also showcased a takedown from ‘The Highlight’, which got the crowd to its feet. In the end, ‘The Colorado native’ was declared the winner of the fight via a unanimous decision.

Dana White revealed who would get the next shot at the UFC Welterweight title

The noted Welterweight, Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington, also made weight but was on standby since there was a possibility of Usman pulling out of the UFC 286 main event. But it finally commenced with the scheduled fighters only.

In the post-event press conference, Dana White went vocal about how Covington had endured the entire weight-cutting process without even the opportunity to fight. The UFC boss also rewarded ‘Donald Trump’s favorite fighter’ in a way. He revealed that ‘Chaos’ would receive the next shot at the UFC Welterweight gold.

Watch This Story – Why is Leon Edwards’ Name “Rocky”? Does it have a Sylvester Stallone Connection?

White stated, “That’s the fight that makes sense and Colby came here and cut weight and did everything to be here for this fight. He deserves the fight. Not to mention that he’s the second or third-best guy in the world.”

But White couldn’t mention any specific time frame within which the bout might be scheduled. What are your thoughts about this fixture?

Some more MMA news

• Conor McGregor’s friend, Gunnar Nelson, submitted Bryan Barberena with an armbar in the first round of their UFC 286 bout.
•  Jennifer Maia put on a striking fest on display as she subjected the noted UFC prospect, Casey O’Neill, to her first career defeat.