UFC on FOX 17 results: Kamaru Usman grinds out Leon Edwards

Kamaru Usman

ORLANDO, Fla. – “The Ultimate Fighter 21” cast member Kamaru Usman kept his octagon record unblemished, earning a dominant decision win over Leon Edwards.

The welterweight bout was part of today’s UFC on FOX 17 preliminary card at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass ahead of additional prelims on FOX Sports 1 and the FOX-televised main card.

Usman crawled out to the center to start the fight before moving into the clinch and looking for a takedown, but Edwards battled well to remain upright. When he had the space to strike, Edwards capitalized, but Usman was relentless with his efforts for the takedown and eventually got the fight to the floor. To his credit, Edwards worked hard for a triangle while on his back, keeping Usman from mounting any real offense.

Usman scored with a big left on the feet in the second, allowing him to take a dazed Edwards to the floor. Edwards recovered quickly and got back to a standing position, but Usman continued to press forward. Momentum started to shift in Usman’s direction, as his constant pressure wore Edwards down.

Usman scored quickly with the takedown in the final frame. Edwards walked up to his feet, but Usman brought him back down to the canvas, slipping out of a guillotine choke as the fight hit the floor. Edwards showed resilience as he tried to escape, but Usman was relentless with his punches as he maintained the dominant position. It was blue-collar work, but it earned Usman the win, 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28.

Usman (7-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) now owns a six-fight winning streak, while Edwards (10-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) sees a two-fight winning streak snapped.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FOX 17 results include:

• Kamaru Usman def. Leon Edwards via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
• Vincente Luque def. Hayder Hassan via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 2:13
• Francis Ngannou def. Luiz Henrique via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 2:53

For more on UFC on FOX 17, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this report on site in Orlando.)