UFC 286 “Edwards Vs Usman 3” + Weekly MMA Report
UFC Vegas 71 didn’t look too promising but the main event was a total one-sided domination where Merab Dvalishvili was swinging the hammer. The Georgian wrestling specialist pieced up Petr Yan for a dominant 5-round decision victory with a score of 50-45.
UFC Vegas 71 Rewards
The rewards for the UFC Vegas 71 performance went into the hands of Davey Grant, who pulled out a very rare inverted triangle choke win over Raphael Assuncao, and Bruno Silva, who shocked the world with a nasty front kick to the face and rear-naked choke win over Tyson Nam.
DANGEROUS DAVEY GRANT! @DaveyGrantMMA #UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/FOF5Dtqr5G
— UFC (@ufc) March 11, 2023
Knocked down ➡️ RNC ➡️ VICTORY for @BrunoBuldogUFC!!! #UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/ZWQ3ABrnMn
— UFC (@ufc) March 11, 2023
The Fight of the Night award went into the hands of Anton Turkalj and Vitor Petrino, who took part in a top-notch three-round grappling scrap.
Bellator 292 Roundup
We’ve seen an easy title fight victory from Usman Nurmagomedov, who rocked Benson Henderson with a Brazilian kick, then finished the fight with a nasty submission. The former UFC champ Henderson hung up his gloves and put an end to his great career after the first-round loss to the Russian prospect.
USMAN NURMAGOMEDOV! 🔥
The lightweight world champion remains #AndStill with an incredible submission!
📺 #Bellator292 | LIVE NOW | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/i55msZgfu3
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 11, 2023
Linton Vassell pulled out a massive upset with a win over Valentin Moldavsky. Michael “Venom” Page crushed Goiti Yamauchi’s kneecap for a TKO win. It seems Yamauchi won’t compete for a while.
ELBOW!
📺 #Bellator292 | LIVE NOW | 🇺🇸 @SHOsports pic.twitter.com/kRmQZJ57Zm
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 11, 2023
Ok this angle is insane. Looks like Yamauchi’s kneecap exploded?! pic.twitter.com/GmCIBKCKzb
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 11, 2023
UFC 286 Announcement
This weekend, the greatest MMA promotion in the world travels across the pond for another high-level event in the capital of England, headlined by the third fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman.
Image source: UFCBrasil Twitter
The reigning defending division champ Leon Edwards has already scored a vicious knockout victory over Kamaru Usman in the dying seconds of their previous match, so he could pull it out again. “Rocky” is a cardio machine with nasty powerful strikes, but Usman gets a wrestling and clinching advantage.
Prediction: Leon to win
The co-main event of the evening brings the amazing scrap between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. Fiziev’s Muay Thai striking is amazing, he is a master of controlling the central line, while Gaethje moves like a cat and lands explosive leg kicks. One way or another, this one will hardly go to judges’ scorecards.
Prediction: no distance
UFC 286 Full Fight Card
Here is a look at the UFC 286 full fight card, but please check this link due to the potential last-minute changes.
Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 5 PM ET, 9 PM UK time)
UFC Welterweight title fight: Leon Edwards (20-3-0) vs. Kamaru Usman (20-2-0)
Lightweight: Justin Gaethje (23-4-0) vs. Rafael Fiziev (12-1-0)
Welterweight: Gunnar Nelson (18-5-1) vs. Bryan Barberena (18-9-0)
Flyweight: Jennifer Maia (20-9-1) vs. Casey O’Neill (9-0-0)
Middleweight: Marvin Vettori (18-5-1) vs. Roman Dolidze (12-1-0)
Preliminary Card (ESPNews, ESPN+, UFC On Fight Pass, 3 PM ET, 7 PM UK time)
Featherweight: Jack Shore (16-1-0) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (17-8-0)
Lightweight: Chris Duncan (9-1-0) vs. Omar Morales (11-3-0)
Lightweight: Sam Patterson (10-1-1) vs. Yanal Ashmoz (6-0-0)
Flyweight: Muhammad Mokaev (8-0-0) vs. Jafel Filho (14-2-0)
Early Prelims (ESPN+, UFC on Fight Pass, 1 PM ET, 5 PM UK time)
Featherweight: Lerone Murphy (11-0-1) vs. Gabriel Santos (10-0-0)
Middleweight: Christian Leroy Duncan (7-0-0) vs. Duško Todorović (12-3-0)
Flyweight: Jake Hadley (9-1-0) vs. Malcolm Gordon (14-6-0)
Flyweight: Joanne Wood (15-8-0) vs. Luana Carolina (8-3-0)
Lightweight: Jai Herbert (12-4-0) vs. Ľudovít Klein (19-4-0)
Flyweight: Veronica Hardy (6-4-1) vs. Juliana Miller (3-1-0)
UFC 286 Predictions
Please take a look at my predictions for the upcoming UFC 286 card in the playlist below.
This event is stacked from top to bottom. UFC 286 is one of the best Europa-based events of all time, please give it a shot, lads! Sit next to your watching device on Saturday and enjoy an amazing day of fights!
[…] UFC 286 was a banger, there were so many high-level bouts. The UFC welterweight belt didn’t change its owner. Despite a point deduction, Leon Edwards outworked Kamaru Usman in the capital of England for a majority decision win. In the co-main, Justin Gaethje made more damage in the bout against Rafael Fiziev to win a close decision after three rounds of bloody and battered war. […]