UFC 286: Leon Edwards v Kamaru Usman trilogy bout confirmed for London
- Published
Edwards watches back his UFC title triumph
Britain's Leon Edwards will defend his welterweight title in a trilogy bout against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in London on 18 March.
Edwards, 31, shocked Usman in a rematch in August, becoming only the second British UFC champion in history.
Nigeria-born American Usman, 35, won their first meeting in 2015.
The main event at the O2 Arena was in jeopardy after it was revealed Usman has been nursing a hand injury.
American Justin Gaethje will fight Azerbaijan's Rafael Fiziev in a lightweight co-main event.
The card will be the first UFC numbered event to take place in Britain since UFC 204 in 2016, when Britain's first UFC champion Michael Bisping defended his middleweight title against Dan Henderson in Manchester.
The UFC's numbered events are regarded as their flagship shows in comparison to their 'Fight Night' spectacles.
Other fights confirmed for UFC 286 include an all-British bout between Nathaniel Wood and Lerone Murphy, and Britain's Joanne Wood against Brazilian Carolina Luana.
Briton Jake Hadley will take on Canada's Malcolm Gordon, Italian Marvin Vettori fights Georgia's Roman Dolidze, and Iceland's Gunnar Nelson faces American Daniel Rodriguez.
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