UFC is heading across the pond this weekend, as UFC 286 is set to kick off action in London, England this Saturday March 18. There’s a full slate of fights featuring a number of promising up-and-coming fighters as well as a Welterweight title fight between two of the best fighters UFC has to offer in Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Below I’ve laid out three of the fighters I’l have my eyes on once the action commences.
Welterweight – Kamaru Usman
First on my list is the Nigerian Nightmare, Kamaru Usman, who will rematch current Welterweight champion Leon Edwards for a chance to reclaim the title. Currently the #5 ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Kamaru Usman enters the fight with a 15-1 record with 4 knockouts, A he’s coming off his only career UFC loss.
Despite having lost his last contest to Edwards, Usman is a far superior fighter in my opinion, and if he hadn’t been knocked out in the final seconds of the 5th round by Edwards he almost certainly would have won the fight. However, he was knocked out and now it’s up to Usman to reclaim his belt. I expect the Nigerian Nightmare to come out swinging in this fight as he’ll try to regain his spot as the king of UFC.
Lightweight – Rafael Fiziev
After losing his first UFC fight back in April 2019, lightweight Rafael “Ataman ” Fiziev has come back with a vengeance and is currently on a six fight win-streak, with a 6-1 career record. This week he faces his toughest opponent to date in Justin Gaethje, who has an impressive 23-4 record.
Despite the great challenge that lies ahead for the Azerbaijani fighter, I think that he’s going to turn some heads and surprise many in the process. He enters the fight as a slight favorite, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes it further and earns a knockout in his UFC 286 bout.
Women Flyweight – Casey O’Neill
A fighter who is relatively unknown, considering she only has four UFC fights to her name, Australian Casey “King” O’Neill is one of the most promising female fighters in all of the UFC. Her dominant start in the UFC has her pegged as the favorite heading into her March 18 matchup against experienced fighter Jennifer Maia, who’s compiled a decent 20-9-1 record.
O’Neill has won three of her UFC fights by either knockout or submission and I’m sure that if she wants to end up with a win here she’ll more than likely have to do the same to Maia. Both of these two women are some of the most talented fighters that the UFC has to offer and I’m really excited to see how this one will end up.
