Leon Edwards retained his welterweight title in front of his home fans as he beat Kamaru Usman by majority decision at UFC 286 at the o2 arena in London.
The 31-year-old Briton was the more dangerous striker throughout as he prevented the majority of Usman’s takedown attempts in a bout billed as the biggest British MMA fight in history.
The victory over the 35-year-old Nigerian fighter sees Edwards make his first title defence since beating Usman in August 2022.
In shocking Usman to avenge a 2015 defeat and win the title in August, Edwards became only the second British UFC champion and the first since Michael Bisping in 2016.
Edwards’ achievement prompted the UFC to host a trilogy bout and its first numbered show in Britain since 2016, when Bisping defended his middleweight title against Dan Henderson in Manchester.
Following his victory, Jamaican-born Edwards opened the door to a fight with former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington, who was sat at cageside, but also said he might travel to Miami in April to see Jorge Masvidal’s fight with Gilbert Burns.