by See what’s happening on the scales ahead of UFC 286.
The UFC is in the UK this weekend with UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards hoping to make a successful first title defense while on home soil. His challenger will be the man he stole the belt from, Kamaru Usman.
This is a trilogy fight for Edwards and Usman. They met at the start of their Octagon career, with Usman getting the best of ‘Rocky’ on that occasion. Edwards hasn’t lost since.
The co-main event for this one is guaranteed to entertain with Justin Gaethje facing Rafael Fiziev in the lightweight division. The PPV also features an important middleweight bout between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze. Popular Icelander Gunnar Nelson is also on the main card, taking on ultimate spoiler Bryan Barbarena. Rounding out the main card is Scotland’s Case O’Neill against former title challenger Jennifer Maia.
Join the new BE
Bloody Elbow is leaving Vox and relaunching as a reader-supported website. Help us keep independent MMA journalism alive.
The prelims are topped by Jack Shore vs. Makwan Amirkhani. These and the early prelims are mostly showcase fights for British emerging talent. The most highly regarded of those British prospects is undefeated Mohammad Mokaev, who meets Jafel Filho.
But before these fights happen, everyone has to weigh in. And Edwards and Usman will have to be careful to make sure they don’t weigh more than 170 pounds (otherwise their title hopes will be dashed).
The official weigh-ins will take place at 4:45 a.m. ET. You can view it here:
Usman and Edwards have both gained weight, making their title fight official:
The ceremonial weigh-ins will take place at 2pm ET.
FULL RESULTS
Main Chart (ESPN+ PPV at 5pm ET)
Leon Edwards (170) v Kamaru Usman (170)
Justin Gaethje (156) vs Rafael Fiziev (156)
Gunnar Nelson (170) vs. Bryan Barberena (171)
Jennifer Maia (126) v Casey O’Neill (125)
Marvin Vettori (185.5) vs. Roman Dolidze (186)
Preliminary Map (ESPNews / ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET)
Jack Shore (146) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (146)
Chris Duncan (156) vs. Omar Morales (156)
Sam Patterson (155.5) vs. Yanal Ashmoz (155)
Muhammad Mokaev (126) v Jafel Filho (125.5)
Preliminary Map (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass at 1PM ET)
Lerone Murphy (145.5) vs. Gabriel Santos (145.5)
Christian Leroy Duncan (185.5) v Dusko Todorovic (186)
Malcolm Gordon (129.5)* vs. Jake Hadley (126)
Joanne Wood (126) v Luana Carolina (126)
Jai Herbert (156) v Ludovit Klein (156)
Juliana Miller (125.5) v Veronica Hardy (125.5)
Main Event Backup: Colby Covington (170)
*Gordon missed weight, losing 30 percent of his wallet
About the author: Tim Bissell is a writer, editor and deputy site manager for Bloody Elbow. He has covered martial arts since 2015. Tim covered news and events and has also written longform and investigative pieces. (full biography)
Reserve your username for the new Bloody Elbow before April 1, 2023. See here for more details (link).
read more
