Kamaru Usman opens as betting favorite for Leon Edwards trilogy fight
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has opened up as the betting favorite for a potential Leon Edwards trilogy fight.
Usman was less than one minute away from defending his title against Edwards in the main event of UFC 278 this past Saturday night at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, before the unthinkable happened. With just 56 seconds left in the fight, Edwards landed a clean left head kick that knocked Usman out cold. The loss snapped Usman’s 19-fight win streak and it left him one victory shy of tying Anderson Silva’s UFC record of 16 straight victories.
Despite the loss, Usman remains one of the best MMA fighters on the planet, and due to his long winning streak before that, he is going to get a trilogy fight next. Despite the fact Usman lost the fight via fifth-round head kick KO, he is favored to win the trilogy fight.
BestFightOdds has the opening betting odds for Edwards vs. Usman 3. The bookies have Usman pegged as a -350 favorite to win back his belt, with Edwards as a +285 underdog.
Future Events:
Kamaru Usman (-350)
Leon Edwards (+285)https://t.co/VO30HT1Mz6 @Leon_edwardsmma— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) August 21, 2022
Based on the way the fight played out, it makes sense that Usman is favored to win the trilogy despite the fact he lost. If the fight went just one more minute, he would have won a unanimous decision and we wouldn’t even be talking about a trilogy fight right now. But it’s MMA, and anything can and often does happen. A split second was the difference between Usman defending his title for a sixth time and Edwards becoming the new champion.
It will certainly be interesting to see where the third fight between these two rivals takes place. If the fight takes place in England, it’s possible the betting line on Usman will shrink to reflect the hometown edge for Edwards. As it stands, though, Usman is a big favorite.
Who do you think wins the trilogy fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman?
