By Victor Kanayo
After suffering defeat in August 2022, Nigerian-born fighter Kamaru Usman has now agreed to square up against rival Leon Edwards in a trilogy bout.
The UFC 286 fight, Heritage Times HT gathered, will take place at the 02 Arena on March 18, 2023.
Edwards beat Usman for the belt at UFC 278 after handing a fifth-round head kick for a knockout, and the welterweight champions will be hoping to defend his title against Usman.
In their first meeting in 2015, it was Usman, 35, who defeated the English fighter via unanimous decision at the time he also joined UFC.
The Jamaican native was down on the cards going into the fifth and final round with Usman in August before knocking him out with under one minute left.
Usman had won 19 straight fights before falling to Edwards. A win in that August bout would have tied him with Anderson Silva (16) for the UFC record winning streak.
Usman is currently ranked No. 3 and Edwards No. 7 on its pound-for-pound MMA list.
The UFC 286 co-main event will also feature Justin Gaethje fighting Rafael Fiziev in a lightweight fight.
This fight will be a homecoming for the 31-year-old Edwards, who moved to England at the age of nine and fights out of Birmingham. He sports a 20-3 record with one no-contest.
He has seven knockouts and three submission victories. Edwards is unbeaten in 11 straight fights dating back to the loss to Usman eight years ago.
Usman who currently lives in Florida, had five successful welterweight title defenses.
