2023 mixed martial arts event
UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 18, 2023, at The O2 Arena in London , England.[ 2]
Background
A UFC Welterweight Championship trilogy bout between current champion Leon Edwards and former champion (also The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians welterweight winner) Kamaru Usman headlined the event.[ 3] UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 in December 2015, where Usman won by unanimous decision.[ 4] UFC 278 in August 2022, where Edwards won the title by knockout in the fifth round.[ 5] Colby Covington served as back up and potential replacement for this fight.[ 6]
A lightweight bout between Michał Figlak and Chris Duncan was scheduled for the event.[ 7] Omar Morales .[ 8]
A featherweight bout between Nathaniel Wood and Lerone Murphy was scheduled for the event.[ 9] [ 10] LFA Featherweight Champion Gabriel Santos.[ 11]
A welterweight bout between Gunnar Nelson and Daniel Rodriguez was scheduled for this event.[ 12] Bryan Barberena .[ 13]
At the weigh-ins, Malcolm Gordon weighed in at 129.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 30% of his purse which went to his opponent Jake Hadley.[ 14]
During the event's broadcast, former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva was announced as the next "pioneer wing" (as his career started prior to the implementation of the Unified Rules of MMA) UFC Hall of Fame inductee. Silva holds the record for longest championship reign (2,457 days) in UFC history and the longest win streak (16) in the organization's history.[ 15]
Results
Main card
Weight class
Method
Round
Time
Notes
Welterweight
Leon Edwards (c)
def.
Kamaru Usman
Decision (majority) (48–46, 48–46, 47–47)
5
5:00
[ a]
Lightweight
Justin Gaethje
def.
Rafael Fiziev
Decision (majority) (29–28, 29–28, 28–28)
3
5:00
Welterweight
Gunnar Nelson
def.
Bryan Barberena
Submission (armbar)
1
4:51
Women's Flyweight
Jennifer Maia
def.
Casey O'Neill
Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28)
3
5:00
Middleweight
Marvin Vettori
def.
Roman Dolidze
Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 30–27)
3
5:00
Preliminary card (ESPNews / ESPN+)
Featherweight
Jack Shore
def.
Makwan Amirkhani
Submission (rear-naked choke)
2
4:27
Lightweight
Chris Duncan
def.
Omar Morales
Decision (split) (27–30, 29–28, 29–28)
3
5:00
Lightweight
Yanal Ashmouz
def.
Sam Patterson
KO (punches)
1
1:15
Flyweight
Muhammad Mokaev
def.
Jafel Filho
Submission (neck crank)
3
4:32
Early preliminary card (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Featherweight
Lerone Murphy
def.
Gabriel Santos
Decision (split) (28–29, 29–28, 29–28)
3
5:00
Middleweight
Christian Leroy Duncan
def.
Duško Todorović
TKO (knee injury)
1
1:52
Catchweight (129.5 lb)
Jake Hadley
def.
Malcolm Gordon
TKO (punches)
1
1:01
Women's Flyweight
Joanne Wood
def.
Luana Carolina
Decision (split) (28–29, 30–27, 29–28)
3
5:00
Lightweight
Jai Herbert
vs.
Ľudovít Klein
Draw (majority) (29–27, 28–28, 28–28)
3
5:00
[ b]
Women's Flyweight
Veronica Hardy
def.
Juliana Miller
Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)
3
5:00
^ For the UFC Welterweight Championship . Edwards was deducted 1 point in round 3 due to grabbing the fence.
^ Herbert was deducted 1 point in round 3 due to multiple groin strikes.
[ 16]
Bonus awards
The following fighters received $50,000 bonuses.[ 17]
Fight of the Night: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev Performance of the Night: Gunnar Nelson and Jake Hadley
See also
References
Upcoming events are in italics
Flagship events Fight Nights UFC on Versus/UFC Live UFC on Fox UFC on FX UFC on Fuel TV Fight Nights UFC on ESPN Fight Nights UFC on ABC The Ultimate Fighter
