Words by Ed King
Erdington UFC star Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (Jamaica/UK) has retained his Welterweight title, beating Kamura Usman (Nigeria/USA) in a confident five round fight– winning on points by a majority judges’ decision.
Fending off continuous attempts by Usman to grapple Edwards to the floor, the UK world champion stayed strong on his feet and out boxed his way to final victory.
The UK based UFC fight, held at the 02 Arena in London, was the third time the two UFC stars had met in the octagon – with each fighter having won one of the previous two fights.
When Edwards won the Welterweight title from Usman in August 2022, he was losing on points until a decisive head kick in the fifth round that sent Usman crashing to the mat and Edwards home wearing the belt.
This time, however, Edwards held a confident stance from the start, landing continuous leg kicks and slipping or blocking Usmans attempts at head shots.
Round one saw each man test their opponent, with Usman holding the centre of the ring and Edwards picking up points with some well placed leg kicks.
Round two saw the first of Usman’s take downs, and the first of Edwards’ resilient responses to his opponent’s attempts to pin him to the mat.
In round three Edwards lost a potentially crucial point during another attempt from Usman to grapple the Birmingham fighter onto the floor, alongside a low blow that paused the fight and saw Edwards issued with a warning.
However, out maneuvering Usman throughout the fight, Edwards went on to dominate rounds four and five – albeit a close call at every step – displaying supreme control and fortitude whilst Usman seemed to be grasping for a take down.
In a flurry of well landed punches during the tail end of round five, Edwards secured his title, with most of the audience already applauding his win before the judge’s final decision.
Through a display of controlled and professional power, Leon Edwards showed the world just why he is the deserved holder of the UFC Welterweight belt – giving the young people in Edrington a home ground role model they can both identify with and be proud of.
After the fight, Kamura Usman told BT Sports: “He (Edwards) had a great gameplan. I always said from the start we’d meet again and I’m not done. We will see each other again.
“I always gave him props for what he’s accomplished. He’s a brother like myself and great respect. London you’ve got yourself a great champion.”
Waiting in the wings, however, was cocky Colby Ray Covington – current No2 in the UFC Welterweight rankings and a likely contender to face off against Edwards in the next title fight.
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