UFC 286 Tips: Edwards vs Usman 3

<p>The UFC touches down in London this Sunday as we’re blessed with the finale of the Leon Edwards &amp; Kamaru Usman trilogy at UFC 286. The O2 Arena in London will host this Welterweight title bout and you already know the atmosphere will be absolutely electric.</p> <p>While we’re blessed with some great fights in this card you can’t help but feel like there’s a missed opportunity here. Big names like Paddy Pimblett, Tom Aspinall &amp; Paul Craig always draw a huge crowd in the UK but are unavailable for the card and it’s been filled with a lot of non-UK fighters.</p> <p>As much as we’d like to see Paddy in action, the show goes on and we’ve still got some exciting bouts ahead of us. We’ve had a look and given our 2 cents on how we think things will play out this Sunday.</p> <p>Good luck &amp; remember to gamble responsibly.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-286/marvin-vettori-v-roman-dolidze-7190478">Marvin Vettori vs Roman Dolidze</a></p> <p>Kicking off the main card we’ve got ‘The Italian Dream’ Marvin Vettori taking on Roman ‘The Caucasian’ Dolidze. Thankfully, you don’t get points taken away for horrible nicknames because Dolidze would be in trouble.</p> <p>Dolidze is a real up-and-comer in the middleweight division and is 12-1 with his one loss coming via decision against Trevin Jiles back in 2021. He’ll be facing his toughest challenger yet in Vettori who’s only lost 3 times since 2017, twice to Israel Adesanya &amp; once to Robert Whittaker.</p> <p>Dolidze relies on his KO power to win his fights, having only won by decision twice. Vettori on the other hand has <em>never </em>been finished and <em>never</em> been submitted. He’s insanely durable and has a chin of steel. The only way Dolidze wins this if he can be the first of 24 fighters to finish Vettori which he doesn’t have in him.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Marvin Vettori to win</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-286/jennifer-maia-v-casey-o-neill-7190526">Jennifer Maia vs Casey O’Neill</a></p> <p>A battle of the flyweight’s see’s Jennifer Maia take on the Aussie Casey O’Neill. Both women are ranked and given the momentous changes we’re seeing in this division with Shevchenko’s shock loss, the winner could be getting a title shot sooner than we think.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>O’Neill is 9-0 in her MMA career and a big contributor has been her grappling and takedowns which Maia has historically struggled against. Maia has the striking advantage, but O’Neill will look to take this to the ground early. Expect a lot of ground control and a decision victory for the up-and-coming Aussie.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Casey O’Neill to win via decision</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-286/gunnar-nelson-v-bryan-barberena-7190476">Gunnar Nelson vs Bryan Barberena</a></p> <p>Talk about a nightmare matchup. The Icelander Gunnar Nelson faces Bam Bam Barberena in this welterweight bout and it won’t be a warm welcome for Barberena as he makes his way across the pond.</p> <p>Bam Bam is coming off a tough loss to Rafael dos Anjos while Gunnar Nelson will be looking to work his way back into the top 15.</p> <p>This one’s a little tricky to pick. Barbarena’s takedown &amp; grappling defense is non-existent. He’s a striker first and foremost while the man from Iceland is a technical grappler. What makes this tricky is that Nelsons last 3 fights have gone the distance, including his last win a year ago. It will either be a submission or decision victory for Gunnar Nelson, but he should be able to get the tap in the 15 minutes.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Gunnar Nelson to win via submission</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-286/justin-gaethje-v-rafael-fiziev-7190477">Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev</a></p> <p>Whatever you do, do not miss this fight.</p> <p>Justin Gaethje &amp; Rafael Fiziev are both brawlers and this is a match made in heaven for fans who love a good scrap. 19 of Gaethje’s 23 wins have come via knockout, and 8 of Fiziev’s 12 have finished the same way. These guys won’t go to the ground and with 5-rounds on the agenda, it won’t go the distance either.</p> <p>Gaethje has been overlooked here. He’s had a couple of tough losses recently to Khabib and Oliviera, but those guys are primarily grapplers, this type of fight is much more suited to his style, and we should see a return of his winning form that earned him a shot at the title.</p> <p>In saying that Fiziev is the favourite for good reason and the variety of his striking will play a huge factor here.</p> <p>Ultimately, Gaethje should get this done and give the division a grim reminder that he’s not one to be underestimated.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Justin Gaethje to win via KO</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/ufc-mma/ufc-286/leon-edwards-v-kamaru-usman-7071409">Leon Edwards vs Kamaru Usman 3</a></p> <p>We end the card with the main event of the evening and the concluding chapter of the trilogy between these two champions, Leon Edwards &amp; Kamaru Usman. Usman, the former Welterweight champion and #1 P4P fighter suffered a shock loss to Edwards in their last meeting which stunned the MMA world. They meet again in London, Edwards home turf where he’ll enjoy the support of the boisterous English crowd.</p> <p>Any UFC fan will tell you that Edwards got lucky in their last meeting with a last-minute head kick to KO Usman. Can lightning strike twice or will the Nigerian Nightmare regain his crown?</p> <p>Leon Edwards is a feel-good story, but common sense will prevail, and Usman will earn his belt back. His resume speaks for itself, and he was dominating the fight before the head kick. Edwards just doesn’t have the arsenal to keep Usman at bay.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Kamaru Usman to Win</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Not avaliable in SA.&nbsp;</em></p>