Leon Edwards remains the undisputed UFC welterweight champion off the back of tonight’s UFC 286 headliner with former titleholder and three-time opponent, Kamaru Usman — defeating the Auchi native in their trilogy rubber match in a close, majority decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47) victory in the main event at The O2 Arena.

Edwards, who had stopped Usman’s dominant title reign back in August of last year with a stunning fifth round high kick KO win in Salt Lake City, Utah — was forced the distance for the second time against the ONX Labs trainee, following a 2015 decision loss to Usman.

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Defending his welterweight crown for the first time, Edwards was deducted a point the second round of tonight’s headliner with Usman — grabbing the Octagon fence to defend a takedown in the sophomore frame.

Extending his undefeated run at the welterweight limit to 13 consecutive fights, Edwards brushed off an immediate title defense against former interim champion, Colby Covington — who was in attendance in London, weighing up a potential return against either Gilbert Burns, or Jorge Masvidal — who fight next month at UFC 287 in Miami, Florida.

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Below, catch the highlights as Leon Edwards defends his title at UFC 286

Aspiring mixed martial arts reporter based in Ireland. Follow along at @Ross_Markey on Twitter for all the latest news, fight announcements, opinion, and feature pieces.