Five Reasons Why I’m Super F—ing Pumped For UFC 286 In London

2. Leon Edwards reminded me of why I love MMA

Looking at the actual UFC 286 fight card, it’s objectively pretty good.

Solid might be a more fitting word. Not stacked, not weak, just solid. Judging by PPV standards. However, just the main event in itself has me locked-in.

When Leon Edwards scored that head kick knockout and won the welterweight title in round five, I was reminded of why I love MMA so much and decided do dedicate my life to covering the sport. Kamaru Usman was winning comfortably and the Joe Rogan just threw out the question of whether Edwards ”may have resigned himself to losing a decision” when all of a sudden BOOM!

Pound-for-pound. Headshot. Dead.

Looking back, it’s one of my favorite UFC moments ever. The whole ”Rocky” story, coach Dave Lovell’s incredible pep talk in between rounds, the unbelievable comeback win. I just love everything about it and it still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.

And I’ll be honest here, I wasn’t even a fan of Leon Edwards before. Neither his fighting style nor personality was intriguing to me. I didn’t get it then, but I sure do now. The whole story surrounding Edwards and his title win is fascinating to me to say the least.

However, while you can probably guess where my heart lies in this one, we still have an ongoing rivalry on our hands with unfinished business and most importantly, unanswered questions.

I tend to believe that Kamaru Usman – not Leon Edwards – is actually the best welterweight in the world. ”The Nigerian Nightmare” having won a majority of the rounds they’ve competed in across their first two fights supports that claim.

Despite being the defending champion, it’s Edwards who needs to show up with improvements. Based on the last fight, Usman just needs to not get caught again. However, losing the belt by brutal knockout might mess with your head – just like realizing your dream to become the UFC champion, getting love and support from around the world and defending that title in your home country might get you a vital mental edge.

I’m not at all sure about the outcome – which just makes me that more excited. I’m very much looking forward to just sit back and watch the as this trilogy get settled once and for all.