UFC 286 main event preview: Robert Whittaker and Alex Volkanovski analyze Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3

Leon Edwards will put his welterweight title on the line for the first time against former champion Kamaru Usman in the main event at UFC 286. The pay-per-view will be held in Edwards' home country of England at the O2 Arena in London, marking the promotion's third visit to the UK in the last 12 months.

Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and his compatriot, middleweight Robert Whittaker, previewed the trilogy fight on Fox Sports Australia.

Volkanovski backed Edwards to be more confident in the fight:

“This is a tricky one. I think a lot of people might still lean towards Usman for how that fight was going until that knockout. But I still remember that first round, you know, the altitude. They were talking about fighting at a higher altitude, he was saying it was tiring him out. Cause his confidence is gonna be through the roof, knowing that he had a good first round. Remember, he took Usman down. Had a good first round and he still got the KO when he thought he was tired. So I feel like, I’m almost 50-50 on this one. I think Leon can definitely get the job done.”

Meanwhile, Robert Whittaker spoke about Kamaru Usman's mentality coming into the fight after his first-ever loss in the UFC:

“It’s funny because we need to see how Usman comes back from that loss. How he comes back from that last fight because he was winning the majority of that fight until he switched off. In the fight game you can’t switch off for half a second. Does Usman pull back a little bit and take his foot off the accelerator to regulate his cardio? Or does he hesitate a little bit more worrying about the traps that Leon might or might not be setting up?”

Check out their complete analysis on YouTube:

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Joe Rogan talks about UFC 286 title clash between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman

UFC commentator Joe Rogan weighed in on the upcoming title clash on a recent episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. Rogan spoke to his guest, light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, and extolled Leon Edwards' striking:

"He's [Edwards] so good, he's one of the most impressive guys hitting pads. His technique is so sharp! And the fluidity of his combinations, that's a world-class striker. That setup for the head kick that landed on Usman in the first fight was textbook."

Rogan also highlighted Kamaru Usman's mental fortitude and added that the former champion will have to afford his opponent more respect in their trilogy fight.

Joe Rogan will not be a part of the commentary team at UFC 286 and will be replaced by the only other English UFC champion in history besides Leon Edwards, Michael Bisping.

Check out Rogan's comments on Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman in the complete episode on Spotify: