UFC 286 predictions: Who’s picking Leon Edwards to upset Kamaru Usman again?

	Edwards vs. Usman	Fiziev vs. Gaethje	Barberena vs. Nelson	Maia vs. O’Neill	Dolidze vs. Vettori
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 30-19	Usman (59%)	Fiziev (52%)	Nelson (62%)	O’Neill (73%)	Vettori (59%)
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 33-16	Usman	Gaethje	Barberena	O’Neill	Dolidze
Nolan King @mma_kings 30-19/em>	Usman	Fiziev	Nelson	Maia	Vettori
Matt Erickson @MattE 30-19	Usman	Gaethje	Nelson	O’Neill	Dolidze
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 30-19	Usman	Fiziev	Nelson	O’Neill	Dolidze
Simon Samano @SJSamano 29-20	Edwards	Gaethje	Nelson	O’Neill	Dolidze
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 29-20 2018, 2022 Champion	Usman	Fiziev	Barberena	O’Neill	Dolidze
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 28-21	Usman	Fiziev	Barberena	O’Neill	Vettori
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 27-22 2014 Champion	Usman	Fiziev	Nelson	O’Neill	Vettori
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 27-22	Usman	Gaethje	Nelson	O’Neill	Vettori
Brian Garcia @thegoze 26-23 2017 Champion	Usman	Gaethje	Barberena	O’Neill	Vettori
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 26-23	Edwards	Gaethje	Nelson	O’Neill	Vettori

The UFC is back in London for the third time in about a year this week with a welterweight trilogy rematch atop the card.

UFC 286 takes place Saturday at The O2 in London. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, welterweight champion Leon Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) takes on former champ Kamaru Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) in a trilogy title rematch. Usman had little issue with Edwards for nearly 25 minutes when they fought this past August, but Edwards pulled off a stunning late head-kick knockout to take the title.

Usman is a -250 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Edwards is +200. It’s not a shutout, though it is a blowout. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Usman ahead at 9-2.

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In the co-feature, Rafael Fiziev (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) takes on former interim lightweight champ Justin Gaethje (23-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC). Fiziev is more than a 2-1 favorite, but it’s Gaethje who has the slimmest possible picks lead at 6-5.

Also on the main card, Bryan Barberena (18-9 MMA, 9-7 UFC) meets Gunnar Nelson (18-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in a welterweight bout. Nelson is the biggest favorite on the main card at -360, but he has just a 7-4 lead in the picks from our staff members.

Jennifer Maia (20-9-1 MMA, 5-5 UFC) takes on the unbeaten Casey O'Neill (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a women’s flyweight bout. O’Neill is a -170 favorite – the smallest favorite on the main card. Yet she is our closest thing to a unanimous pick at 10-1.

And to open the main card, former middleweight title challenger Marvin Vettori (18-5-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) fights Roman Dolidze (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC). Vettori nearly is a 3-1 favorite at the betting window, but he only has a 6-5 lead in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Usman (59 percent), Fiziev (52 percent), Nelson (62 percent), O’Neill (73 percent) and Vettori (59 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie