MMA
UFC 286: Tom Aspinall makes prediction for Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3
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British heavyweight Tom Aspinall is backing Leon Edwards to make a successful first defence of his UFC welterweight title against Kamaru Usman on Saturday night.
Edwards and Usman meet in an eagerly anticipated trilogy fight in London following a thrilling contest last August which saw 'Rocky' knock out Usman with a devastating leg kick in the dying seconds of the fifth and final round.
Now Usman will be looking to reclaim his title, but Aspinall believes Edwards can get the job done at the O2 Arena if he keeps his attitude on track inside the Octagon.
"I'm backing the Brit but it's a tough task because he was losing the fight before he pulled out the KO," Aspinall told BestGamblingSites.
"Although it was very interesting what Leon said about the altitude in Salt Lake because he dominated the first round then slowed down a little bit.
"So if the altitude was a factor in Leon's performance, we could see a complete domination from him this time."
After being on the wrong end of a brutal loss, it would have been no surprise if Usman decided to take a tune-up fight in order to regain some confidence before facing Edwards for a third time. But that is certainly not the case here and the lack of time between both encounters for Usman is something that concerns Aspinall.
"Also, the other thing I'm concerned about with Usman is, the fight wasn't that long ago," Aspinall added.
"That was a big shock to the brain, he was asleep for a longtime. He was out, ice cold, on the floor. Surely that can happen again.
"Also, mentally, the last time they fought, Usman woke up looking at the lights with doctors around him. It wasn't even that long ago. It's not like he's gone and got his confidence back with some big wins.
"But on the flip side we are talking about one of the greatest guys to do it, so it may not affect him too much."
