LIVE! UFC 286 MAIN CARD PPV RESULTS & PLAY-BY-PLAY!

Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 LIVE results and play-by-play updates stream: Follow along below as “Rocky” looks to retain his 170-pound strap and win the welterweight rubber match against “The Nigerian Nightmare,” a former division titleholder. Both fighters enter the UFC 286 headliner, scheduled for five, five-minute rounds, with a victory under their figurative belts (UFC 278 for Edwards and UFC on FOX 17 for Usman). A victory here could send the winner into battle against one of the other top contenders such as Khamzat Chimaev or Belal Muhammad. Before that welterweight trilogy gets settled, Justin Gaethje will look to prove he’s still tough enough to keep the 155-pound gate and perhaps work himself back into title contention by turning away streaking striking sensation, Rafael Fiziev. This three-round co-headliner is an early favorite for “Fight of the Night” and could even contend for “Fight of the Year” ... unless “The Highlight” or “Ataman” closes the show early.

UFC 286’s five-fight PPV main card is set to pop off TONIGHT (Sat., March 18, 2023) at 5 p.m. ET from inside The O2 in London, England, and we’re going to bring you LIVE results and real-time play-by-play updates below, starting with the middleweight collision between one-time title challenger Marvin Vettori and 185-pound rising star Roman Dolidze. In addition, we’re also covering the UFC 286 “Prelims” undercard bouts streaming live on ESPN2 and ESPN+ in a separate thread RIGHT HERE, beginning promptly at 1 p.m. ET.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 286 five-fight PPV main card below, beginning at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Edwards vs. Usman 3.” Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC 286 main card PPV results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)

UFC 286 PPV QUICK RESULTS:

Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman — Edwards def. Usman by majority decision (48-46 x2, 47-47) — RECAP!

Rafael Fiziev vs. Justin Gaethje — Gaethje def. Fiziev by majority decision (29-28 x2, 28-28) — RECAP!

Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barberena — Nelson def. Barberena by submission (armbar) at 4:51 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS

Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O’Neill — Maia def. O’Neill by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

Roman Dolidze vs. Marvin Vettori — Vettori def. Dolidze by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27) — RECAP!

UFC 286 ESPN+ PRELIMS QUICK RESULTS:

145 lbs.: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Jack Shore — Shore def. Amirkhani by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:27 of Round Two

155 lbs.: Chris Duncan vs. Omar Morales — Duncan def. Morales by split decision (27-30, 29-28 x2)

155 lbs.: Yanal Ashmouz vs. Sam Patterson — Ashmouz def. Patterson by KO (punches) at 1:15 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!

125 lbs.: Jafel Filho vs. Muhammad Mokaev — Mokaev def. Filho by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:32 of Round Three — HIGHLIGHTS

145 lbs.: Lerone Murphy vs. Gabriel Santos — Murphy def. Santos by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

185 lbs.: Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Dusko Todorovic — Duncan def. Todorovic by TKO (knee injury) at 1:52 of Round One

125 lbs.: Malcolm Gordon vs. Jake Hadley — Hadley def. Gordon by TKO (punches) at 1:01 of Round One — HIGHLIGHTS!

125 lbs.: Luana Carolina vs. Joanne Wood — Wood def. Carolina by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

155 lbs.: Jai Herbert vs. Ludovit Klein — Majority draw (29-27, 28-28 x2)

125 lbs.: Veronica Hardy vs. Juliana Miller — Hardy def. Miller by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

UFC 286 PPV PLAY-BY-PLAY:

170 lbs.: UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman

Round 1: Low kick from Edwards to start. Counters fall short. Counter left catches Usman leaning a minute in. Quick southpaw jab from Usman. Edwards low kick. Both men taking their time to get going. Two minutes in. Now Usman showing a bit of pressure. Short knee from Edwards on the exit. Nice leg kick. Two minutes to go.

Edwards sends out a blocked head kick. Heavy body kicks get Usman’s attention. Usman tries to come back with a body shot. Usman punches into the clinch, good defense from Edwards, who gets warned for holding the glove with a minute to go. Edwards body kick. Usman having issues with distance so far. 10-9 Edwards.

Round 2: Bit of a false start prompts the ref to back them up and restart. Usman fighting like his confidence has been shaken. He takes a low blow, doesn’t elect to take much time to recover. One minute in. Nice body kick from Edwards. Low kicks. Counter left, then a good knee that gets Usman’s attention. They collide and Usman goes to the body. Edwards low kick two minutes in. Hard lead right buzzes Edwards and Usman follows with a takedown, looking for the back. Hard punches as Edwards gets to his feet. Edwards manages to separate, then shoots himself. Quick sprawl from Usman, looking to spin to the back. TWo minutes to go.

Edwards makes it up and cracks Usman with a counter left. Nice body kick, head kick behind it. Low kick by Usman. One minute to go. Usman body jab, Edwards low kicks. Usman backs him to the fence and both swing hard. 10-9 Usman.

Round 3: Another low kick from Edwards. Usman responds with a powerful single-leg into half guard. Solid short shots. One minute in. Edwards works his way up, then blatantly grabs the fence to avoid getting taken down, resulting in a point deduction. They restart at range. Low kick exchange. More low kicks from Edwards. Two minutes in. Trading jabs. More low kick exchanges. One of Edwards’ catches Usman in the cup, though it isn’t a long pause. Two minutes to go.

Body kick from Edwards that Usman tries to claim was low. Nice knee by Edwards. Both land leg kicks. Stiff jab by Usman. Edwards low kick, Usman right hand. Oblique kick seems to sting Usman as Edwards continues to chip away. One minute to go. Edwards body kick, Usman elbow. Usman puts him on the fence and fires knees to the thigh. They separate in the waning seconds. 9-9.

Round 4: The name of the game so far is distance, as they continue to compete at Edwards’ preferred range. Low kicks from Edwards. One minute in. Usman 2-3. Usman slips on simultaneous kicks, then sits up into a takedown attempt two minutes in. Edwards defends and separates. Another body kick from Edwards. Usman jabs the body. Lead right. Low kicks doing damage with two minutes to go.

Quick counter left by Edwards. Stiff jabs, blocks the return fire. Usman hits a double-leg, loses his grip, re-engages. Edwards works his way up and lands a hard two-piece. One minute to go. Usman changes levels, denied. Short uppercut by Edwards. Usman unable to walk him down, tries a final shot. 10-9 Edwards.

Round 5: Usman lands a two-piece, blocks a head kick. Putting on the pressure against the fence. Good entry, can’t finish. They separate a minute in. Sharp uppercut from Edwards, head kick behind it. Edwards doing good work inside. Great elbow. Usman continuing to push forward, changes levels. Two minutes in. They separate. Edwards low kick. Circling well. Hard low kick. Nice knee. Usman shoots with two minutes to go.

Edwards denies it, lands a body kick. Usman punches into a successful takedown, putting Edwards on his seat. Edwards works his way up and they trade knees before separating. Lead right to level change by Usman. One minute to go. Keeping Edwards against the fence. Knee from Edwards before they separate. He denies another takedown and weathers a flurry at the bell. 10-9 Edwards; draw at worst for him, I think.

Final result: Edwards def. Usman by majority decision

155 lbs.: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev

Round 1: Heavy low kick from Gaethje draws first blood. Fiziev staying just out of range. One minute in. Body kicks from Fiziev. Gaethje low kick, Fiziev counter left. Another heavy hook. Gaethje comes back with heat. Two minutes in. Fiziev body kick and knee in the clinch. Swatting hook from Gaethje after leading to the body. Two minutes to go.

Fiziev rips some body shots of his own. Intercepting elbow. Gaethje answers the next body shot with a low kick. Fiziev showing off a huge speed advantage but Gaethje getting in his licks. Quick flurry from Gaethje. More body kicks from Fiziev, who avoids the counter flurry. One minute to go. Gaethje with a rare takedown attempt that Fiziev snuffs out instantly. Low calf kick by Gaethje. Flying knee catches Gaethje leaning. Gaethje comes back with a low kick and tries to unload at the bell. Fun start. 10-9 Fiziev.

Round 2: Another heavy body kick lands for Fiziev into the clinch. Jump knee to the body, lead left hook. Gaethje comes back with a looping overhand right but he’s a step behind so far. One minute in. Brief clinch. Fiziev misses a spinning back fist, lands a clinch knee, takes a finger in the eye. Gaethje tries a head kick. Low kick from Fiziev. Gaethje falls short with a flurry, lands a calf kick, eats a knee inside two minutes in. Another flurry from Gaethje to answer a body kick, nothing lands clean. Big exchange. Body shot to knee by Fiziev and Gaethje again comes back with big swings. Fiziev body kick, swatting right by Gaethje. Two minutes to go.

Fiziev hops in with a left hook and they exchange at close range. Continuing to stalk, good front kick downstairs. More body work. Low kick with a minute to go. Gaethje comes back with a calf kick, but Fiziev’s getting out of range of most of the counters. Simultaneous connections. Gaethje head kick falls short. One more Fiziev body kick, then some lunging swings from Gaethje that again come up short. 10-9 Fiziev.

Round 3: Brutal right hand stings Gaethje in the early going. Uppercut just misses, but a heavy left hook in the combo does not. More body kicks from Fiziev into the clinch. Fiziev still looking fresh. Counter flurry by Gaethje a minute in. Low kick. They clinch up and Fiziev lands knees while Gaethje fires body shots. Gaethje throwing heat in the center, then switches things up with a level change. He settles for a jump knee on the exit. Triple jab. Cross counter by Fiziev, eats more jabs. Fiziev wings some big shots, eats a hard counter. Gaethje starting to take control. Fiziev comes back with a body shot. Low kick and left hook meet him. Two minutes to go.

Big looping right lands for Gaethje. Uppercut through the guard. Fiziev answers with a body kick. Another, then a low kick as Gaethje throws a combination. Thumping uppercut by Gaethje inside. Great work in the pocket with a minute to go. Fiziev still storming after him. Heavy jabs landing for Gaethje. Cracking uppercut. Fiziev is a bloody mess but he’s still coming. Gaethje putting together some quality punches, then finally hits a takedown at the bell. 10-9 Gaethje.

Final result: Gaethje def. Fiziev by majority decision

170 lbs.: Gunnar Nelson vs. Bryan Barberena

Round 1: Nelson in his usual long karate-style stance, staying out of range as Barberena sends out feelers. Nice low kick from Barberena. One minute in. Barberena blitzes, falls short. Nelson lands a lead right into the clinch. Good pummeling to get the second underhook two minutes in. Nelson keeping him against the fence, nice high-crotch lift to land on top in half guard. Two minutes to go.

Barberena tries to strike off his back, eats some elbows in return. One minute to go. Looking to isolate the far arm, drops hard shots instead before considering an arm triangle. Full mount. One more good elbow from Nelson, then a buttery-smooth spin for an armbar that draws the tap.

Final result: Nelson def. Barberena by submission (armbar)

125 lbs.: Jennifer Maia vs. Casey O’Neill

Round 1: O’Neill pushing forward early. Solid right hands from Maia, meeting her head-on. Good boxing exchanges, Maia finding the counters so far. Heavy shots a minute in. Things slow down in the second minute as O’Neill switches to picking her shots. They trade right hands. Two minutes in. High-volume exchanges continue to favor Maia, who follows a knee with a right hand inside. Hard counter right over the jab. Chopping 1-2 from O’Neill in return with two minutes to go.

O’Neill puts together a solid combination. Maia catches a body kick, can’t take her down, lands a 1-2 on the exit. One minute to go. O’Neill lead right, Maia counter flurry. O’Neill right hand met by a knee. Counter right and inside low kick from Maia. O’Neill steps in for another quick exchange. 10-9 Maia.

Round 2: Maia just seems a step quicker with her hands and has the more consistently effective timing. Heavy right cross and jabs. O’Neill continues to march forward and fire volume. One minute in. The story’s been pretty consistent: O’Neill steps in with pressure and Maia meets her with rapid-fire combinations. Two minutes in. Still no sign of a takedown from O’Neill. More good counters by Maia. She considers a single-leg, lands punches instead. Two minutes to go.

O’Neill unfazed so far, but still getting beaten to the punch. There’s a good 1-2 from O’Neill and a shot, which Maia denies before putting her on the fence. One minute to go. Hard shots on the exit. Both land well inside. 10-9 Maia.

Round 3: There’s a good body kick from O’Neill. Both fire flurries, neither lands. O’Neill changes levels, denied. Maia moves to the body lock and lands a knee on the exit a minute in. Hard uppercuts on the counter. Continuing to trade hands, sneaky head kick by O’Neill. Lead right met by a hard knee two minutes in. Maia catches her coming in with some solid shots. Knee and right hand on the exit. That’s been the story of the fight: O’Neill can’t seem to get past the wall of counters Maia has waiting for her every time she enters the pocket. Two minutes to go.

Both try head kicks. Maia lands on the exit. 1-2 from O’Neill that seems to invigorate her a bit. One minute to go. Trading hands in center cage, teep from O’Neill afterwards. Maia shoots in and grabs the body lock. Looking for a single-leg, can’t get it. O’Neill cracks her with a right hand on the exit and they end the fight slugging. 10-9 Maia.

Final result: Maia def. O’Neill by unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze

Round 1: Vettori southpaw, Dolidze orthodox. Vettori firing kicks. Dolidze tries a lead right, then clips Vettori with a left hook and tries to open up on the fence. Vettori laughs it off and they return to neutral a minute in. A lull ensues, broken by a Vettori body kick. Both send out punches two minutes in. Vettori low kicks. 1-2 upstairs. Solid exchanges in center cage. Two minutes to go.

Dolidze low kick and right hand. Inside low kick exchange. Vettori barrels in and their heads collide, prompting a pause. Back to exchanging punches with a minute to go. Overhand right from Dolidze, then another that leads to a wild exchange on the fence. Dolidze really hurling that right hand with everything he’s got. Vettori again manages to weather it. 10-9 Dolidze.

Round 2: Vettori opens with a low kick. Both throw combos, neither connects. Vettori body kick a minute in, back to the low kicks. Lead right lands for Dolidze. Good exchange and Dolidze goads him on. Vettori doing a decent job at a distance this round, picking away at Dolidze without eating too many bombs. Glancing 1-2 from Vettori two minutes in. Another good low kick. Dolidze still advancing, glancing overhand right. Vettori answers with jabs and low kicks. Two minutes to go.

Dolidze still loading up on those overhand rights, but appears to have lost a bit of zip. He hoots, denied. Vettori straight left. Left uppercut. Dolidze tries a combo with a minute to go. Vettori outworking and outmaneuvering an increasingly one-note Dolidze. More low kicks. Counter left at the bell. 10-9 Vettori.

Round 3: Dolidze still pushing forward but he’s clearly fatigued at this point. Solid knee against the fence, three-piece comes back at him. Clubbing right from Dolidze met by a leg kick. One minute in. Vettori 1-2, eats an overhand right and some shots from the single collar tie. More low kicks. Counter right hook. Dolidze wading in, pops him with a straight right two minutes in. Solid flurry by Dolidze. Vettori lands a low kick, eats an overhand right. Vettori’s output has plummeted and things look up for grabs with two minutes to go.

Low kick and counter left by Vettori, which Dolidze walks through to throw more overhand rights. They trade their rear hands, then Vettori cracks him with a right hook. Big 1-2 by Vettori after absorbing a right, his best shot in a while. One minute to go. Dolidze shoots behind a right hand, rebuffed. Brief clinch. Both swing big in the waning seconds. 10-9 Vettori but that last round could go either way.

Final result: Vettori def. Dolidze by unanimous decision

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 286 fight card TONIGHT, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches RIGHT HERE, which are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV above.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 286: “Edwards vs. Usman 3” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 286 fight card and PPV lineup click here.

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