Saturday London will host the 286th numbered tournament of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ), the card of which will include a welterweight title fight, a hidden challenger fight in the division of Russian Islam Makhachev, a top middleweight kill and a performance by an undefeated Brit with Dagestani roots. Sports announce one of the main events of the spring.
UFC 286
- When: March 18;
- Where: O2 Arena, London (UK) );
- Tournament start: 20:00 Moscow time;
- Stream: UFC Fight Pass/public TV (from 00:00 Moscow time).
Edwards vs Usman III
Welterweight Championship Match
In August, the dominant champion of the UFC welterweight division, the first number in the rating regardless of the weight categories (P4P) Kamaru Usman made his sixth defense. Much was at stake, not only the title: if successful, the Nigerian Nightmare would have won a record, 16th victory in the UFC in a row (the same was for the legendary Brazilian Anderson «Spider» Silva). Wait a minute Usman, and the athlete could talk about himself as one of the greatest in the history of mixed martial arts.
But he did not endure. Having taken the second, third and fourth rounds in the «title» against Briton Leon «Rocky» Edwards, mentally broken in the octagon, the champion slowed down in anticipation of a historical record. Then he passed out, missing an incomparable kick just under the chin.
This was the main upset of 2022. Unexpected, tough… And phenomenal!And now, the expected completion of the trilogy (in 2015, Usman won by unanimous decision). Surviving a nightmare in Salt Lake City, Kamaru diligently reminds MMA fans about the course of the second fight and the accidental knockout, while Leon, who has not lost for 11 fights, believes in himself and has high hopes for his native stands.
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“Knockout affects fighters in different ways. How old is Usman now, 35 or 36? He wants to come out after the knockout and fight with the same guy who knocked him out — let's see what conclusions he made. This will be his first fight in someone's backyard, because the tournament will be hosted by my hometown. I have never lost in the UK, I use the crowd as energy! I can’t imagine Usman coming out and beating me,” Edwards quotes MMA Junkie.
Odds: 1.3 and 3.2 not in favor of the reigning UFC champion.Application for «fight of the year» according to fans and experts. The American Justin Gaethje, who is returning from his second defeat in the title fight, and Rafael Fiziev, who is on a six-match winstreak, has 14 bonuses for two. He is also number three and six in the rankings of the promotion's best lightweights with explosive attacking style and knockout energy. 27 finishes for two! In general, there will be a fire in the octagon — the probability that the fight will last all 15 minutes tends to zero.
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«He's very bright, and I'm one of the most spectacular guys to ever go out in a cage. This fight will definitely be the best fight of the year! Fiziev is young and hungry, he reminds me of me. I can’t wait to bring him down from heaven to earth: I’m ready to drag him into deep waters and drown him there,” BJ Penn quotes Highlight. representative of the USA. u>.Following the Georgian MMA star Merab Dvalishvili, who confidently defeated Petr Yan from Russia last weekend, compatriot Roman Dolidze will try to get closer to the title chance. The latter is on a great series of four victories (three of which are early) and is now preparing for the main fight of his career. After all, a native of Batumi will face the ex-challenger from Italy, the fourth number of the rating Marvin Vettori, who has two defeats in the last four bouts.In case of success on Saturday, Dolidze, who is on the ninth line, will break into the top 5 of the rating and come close to the Candidates match.
Odds: 2.8 for the Italian and 1.4 for the Georgian .
The Russians will also have someone to follow in London. As part of the preliminary card, the undefeated Briton of Dagestan origin Muhammad Mokaev, who has already won three victories in the UFC, will enter the cage.
Now a member of the top 15 of the flyweight division goes for the fourth victory: next in line is the debutant of the league, the Brazilian Jafel Filho, who will try to counter the fight » Punisher» good Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills.
Odds: less than 1.1 vs 6.9. No chance for Filho.
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UFC 286 Full Card
Main Card:
- Leon Edwards — Kamaru Usman;
- Justin Gaethje — Rafael Fiziev;
- Gunnar Nelson — Brian Barbarena;
- Jennifer Maya — Cassie O'Neill;
- Marvin Vettori — Roman Dolidze.
Prelims:
- Jack Shore — Makwan Amirkhani;
- Chris Duncan — Omar Morales;
- Sam Patterson – Yanal Ashmoz;
- Muhammad Mokaev – Jafel Filho;< /li>
- Leron Murphy — Gabriel Santos;
- Christian Duncan — Dusko Todorovic;
- Joanne Calderwood — Loana Carolina;
- Jai Herbert — Ludovit Kline;
- Juliana Miller — Veronica Macedo.
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Jake Hadley — Malcolm Gordon;
Vote for the winner of the main revenge-2023
Leon Edwards33.3%
>Kamaru Usman66.7%
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