Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 1: What happened in their first fight?

When Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards first fought in 2015, Usman got the better of the Englishman after three rounds via unanimous decision. Both fighters were unknown to the masses at the time, so the bout took place in the prelims of UFC on FOX 17: Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 in Florida.

The Nigerian-American clearly beat Edwards in terms of striking, landing 48 significant strikes on the Englishman. His opponent could only manage to land 26 meaningful strikes on Usman and struggled to deal with the current champion's takedowns.

Kamaru Usman dominated on the ground in the first meeting, with 'The Nigerian Nightmare' converting six of his 13 takedown attempts. Usman finished the bout with a staggering 10 minutes and 50 seconds of control time. Meanwhile, Edwards could only control his opponent on the ground for 40 seconds.

This will likely be the champion's gameplan for their rematch at UFC 278 next month. What spells danger for the challenger is that Usman's striking is more effective than when they last fought seven years ago, and his wrestling ability is just as good.

However, 'Rocky' has been in fantastic form in the UFC and has not lost since his first meeting with Usman. Edwards has won nine fights out of 10, with one no-contest against Belal Muhammad in 2021 due to an eye poke.

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Who beat Kamaru Usman and what is their MMA record?

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has only lost once in his professional MMA career. The defeat came in his second professional bout when facing Jose Caceres at CFA 11: Kyle vs. Wiuff 2 in 2013.

The current UFC welterweight champion lost via submission in the very first round but has since remained unbeaten. However, Caceres is no stranger to defeat, despite beating such a high-level fighter.

Watch Usman lose to Caceres here:

'Know Way' has a professional MMA record of 15 wins and 12 losses. The 35-year-old trains at American Top Team Kendall but has never competed in the UFC.

Caceres has competed in organizations such as WSOF, Fight Time, Titan FC and Combate. It's clear that if the two fighters were to rematch today, Usman would win convincingly. However, Caceres will always have a win over one of the greatest MMA fighters of this generation.