Leon Edwards was the first to admit he gave a terrible performance in his welterweight title fight against Kamaru Usman eight months ago. He turned in a much better one against Usman at UFC 286.

Edwards (21-3) recorded his first defense of the UFC’s 170-pound championship on Saturday in front of a home crowd at O2 Arena in London, earning a majority decision on the scorecards. Two judges scored the five-round title bout 48-46 in favor of Edwards while a third scored it a 47-47 draw.

It was a much different fight and different Edwards from eight months ago. Edwards was clearly losing to Usman (20-3) at UFC 278 when he landed a stunning head kick that knocked the then-champion and No. 1 pound-for-pound candidate out cold.

On Saturday, Edwards was composed and energetic, visibly leading the dance for the most part.

source espn.com