Leon Edwards was booed when he last fought at the same arena in which he defends his UFC welterweight title against Kamaru Usman in March.
Edwards, 31, won the 170lb belt by knocking out Usman with one minute left of their title clash last August despite losing most of the fight. 'Rocky' became just the second British champion in UFC history by winning the title and he looks to defend the belt for the first time when he meets Usman for the third time at UFC 286 in London.
The last time Edwards fought at The O2 arena, he was booed during the introductions for his fight against Gunnar Nelson in 2019. Edwards was supposed to fight Tyron Woodley in London the following year but the event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and he will now compete on home soil for the first time in four years.
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The Brit reflected on being booed during his last outing in the English capital by stating: “I’ve stayed the course, it’s a full 360° from the last time I was here, now I’m the champion headlining my first UFC event in the UK. I’m proud of myself for staying the course and staying true to what I believe in.”
Edwards was beaten by Usman when the pair fought for the first time back in December 2015, with both men being in the early days of their UFC careers at the time. Usman went on to win 13 consecutive fights, defending his title five times before losing it at the hands of Edwards. 'Rocky' thinks their trilogy fight will be very different to the rematch, considering it took place at high altitude in Salt Lake City.
“I can see it being a totally different fight from the second fight, it’s also about how can he come back after the knockout," Edwards said. "I can take confidence from knowing that I can take him down, hurt him and knock him out. I can see myself getting my hand raised again. I’m not going out there to chase the headshot and get another spectacular finish, it’s just about getting the win."
There were fears over Usman's injury status heading into the trilogy as he was spotted wearing a hand brace last month, which led Jorge Masvidal to call for his shot at the belt. Edwards wants to get revenge on Masvidal for their infamous backstage altercation in 2019 but for now he is fully focused on Usman, whom Edwards insists is the "hardest fight in the division".
