Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman make weight, with both men tipping the scales at the 170-pound welterweight limit, and Colby Covington will NOT be needed after a surprise appearance as a backup for UFC 286 in London.
UFC 286 in London is geared up and ready to go, with Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman making weight on Friday morning.
The British champion took his time, waiting until around 40 minutes after the weigh-ins began, but seemed energized as he quickly took the stage to make the welterweight limit.
Usman was the first out, clearly eager to rehydrate and recover before Saturday night’s massive showdown at the O2 Arena.
The only fighter who didn’t make weight on the first question was Malcolm Gordon, who came in at three pounds over the limit.
At the time of this writing, negotiations were underway with his opponent Jake Hadley to see if the fight would go ahead or if Gordon would still want another shot at the flyweight limit.
Leon Edwards made weight for UFC 286 in London and the main event is ready to go
Usman and Edwards will meet one last time on Friday before the fight on Saturday.
The big surprise of the morning was the appearance of Colby Covington.
There were unconfirmed reports of his presence at a nearby hotel and he stepped in as a backup for the main event.
No doubt the UFC took good care of him on his trip across the pond, but he won’t be tying up his gloves this weekend.
However, he will be present in the crowd, perhaps preparing to call the winner, although he doesn’t have a particularly strong case.
The UFC wisely kept “Chaos” away from the fighters’ hotel to avoid friction with Edwards and Usman, who have a history with the controversial American.
Edwards and Usman are consummate professionals and it was always unlikely that they would run into this roadblock.
Making weight can be tricky and sometimes dangerous business, but the UFC has nutrition experts at the fighter’s disposal and many athletes take it to an art.
It can be tempting to play body language expert and Edwards, who remains an underdog among bookies, looked strong on the scales when many looked frazzled.
Colby Covington weighed in but won’t be needed Saturday night
‘Rocky’ is primed and ready for the main event and his first welterweight title defense
Every fighter on the card has a two-hour window to make weight, but there was no one left to come within an hour of the start, with Gordon, the anomaly, missing his mark.
Edwards and Usman will go head-to-head for the last time this afternoon at ceremonial weigh-ins.
They will look much bigger than they did this morning and will have a packed crowd at the O2 Arena, a precursor to the sellout on Saturday.
Fighters and the UFC can now breathe easy as the biggest event in UK MMA history is ready to kick off.