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When Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards first met in 2015 at UFC on FOX 17: Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2, the Nigerian won via unanimous decision. However, two of the judges did favor Edwards in one of the three rounds.
Don Balas and Sal D'Amato both deemed Edwards to have won the first round and scored the contest 29-28 in favor of Usman. The final judge, Barry Luxenberg, disagreed with the other judges and gave the first round to Usman and scored the bout 30-27.
This wasn't the first time Leon Edwards had lost in the UFC, with the 30-year-old losing to Claudio Silva at UFC Fight Night 56 in 2014. The bout against Silva was Edwards' debut in the organization, which didn't go as planned after losing a split decision to Silva.
Kamaru Usman has never lost in the UFC and has only lost once in his entire professional MMA career. The Nigerian lost to Jose Caceres at CFA 11: Kyle vs. Wiuff 2, which his longtime foe, Colby Covington, famously mocked on social media.
Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman are once again set to face each other, with the two fighters agreeing to fight at UFC 278 in August 2022. This time, however, the bout will be for the UFC welterweight belt and will likely be the last time they fight each other, unless a rematch is needed after the bout in August.
Who beat Leon Edwards for the first time in MMA?
In his professional MMA career, Delroy McDowell was the first fighter to beat Leon Edwards. The bout took place at Fight UK 6 in 2012, but there was some controversy surrounding the result.
Edwards was deemed to have landed an illegal knee, causing the bout to end and be awarded in McDowell's favor. 'Rocky' was 2-0 in his professional career at the time after a very short amateur stint. Edwards only fought twice as an amateur, winning once and the other bout being a no-contest.
Watch the fight here:
Both fighters were unhappy with the result, with McDowell refusing to have his hand raised by the referee after the bout. The crowd also seemed upset, with boos being heard as the announcer read out the result.
However, Leon Edwards quickly moved past this defeat and eventually signed for the UFC. He has now earned a shot at the welterweight title against Kamaru Usman, after going on a nine-fight winning streak in the organization.
