UFC 278 Report: Leon Edwards knocks out Kamaru Usman to win the UFC Welterweight Championship
On Saturday night, UFC 278 took place from the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The card was headlined by a bout for the UFC Welterweight Championship, as Kamaru Usman looked to defend his title against Leon Edwards. The two fighters fought previously in December of 2015, a fight that Usman won by unanimous decision. Since then, both fighters have gone undefeated, and if Usman were to win this fight, he would tie Anderson Silva’s promotional record for consecutive wins, with sixteen. In the co-main event slot, former UFC Middleweight Champion, Luke Rockhold, returned to the octagon, where he would face Paulo Costa, one of the heaviest hitters in the division. This card also featured a high-stakes bout at bantamweight, as Jose Aldo faced Merab Dvalishvili in a fight that would likely determine the next title challenger at 135lbs. The commentary team for this card consisted of Jon Anik, Joe Rogan, and Daniel Cormier.
QUICK RESULTS:
PRELIMINARY CARD
*Victor Altamirano def. Daniel Da Silva by TKO at 3:39 of Round 1
*Aoriqileng def. Jay Perrin by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
*Amir Albazi def. Francisco Figueiredo by rear naked choke at 4:34 of Round 1
*Ange Loosa def. A.J. Fletcher by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
*Sean Woodson vs. Luis Saldana resulted in a split draw (29-27, 28-28, 27-29)
*Jared Gordon def. Leonardo Santos by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
*Martin Tybura def. Alexander Romanov by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
MAIN CARD
*Tyson Pedro def. Harry Hunsucker by TKO at 1:05 of Round 1
*Lucie Pudilova def. Wu Yanan by TKO at 4:04 of Round 2
*Merab Dvalishvili def. Jose Aldo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
*Paulo Costa def. Luke Rockhold by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
*Leon Edwards def. Kamaru Usman by KO at 4:04 to win the UFC Welterweight Championship
DANIEL DA SILVA (11-3, 126) VS VICTOR ALTAMIRANO (10-2, 125) – FLYWEIGHT
Altamirano was fighting aggressively from the opening of the bout, immediately pressuring forward with a combination of strikes. A right hand from Da Silva dropped Altamirano, and while Altamirano was quick to return to his feet, Da Silva was really looking to finish this fight quickly, and he landed a brutal spinning back fist that landed flush. Somehow Altamirano was able to stay on his feet, and a knee to the body in the clinch sent Da Silva to the ground, where Altamirano followed him, taking top position. Altamirano was throwing down vicious elbows, which quickly cut Da Silva open. Da Silva was unable to improve his position, and referee Dave Seljestad was ultimately forced to stop the fight due to Altamirano’s barrage of elbows.
WINNER: Victor Altamirano by TKO at 3:39 of Round 1
Da Silva had Altamirano in a ton of trouble on the feet, but the big knee to the body from Altamirano changed the fight, and Da Silva was never able to recover from the knockdown. This was certainly a wild fight to start the night, and the Salt Lake City crowd voiced their appreciation for the fighters after the bout. This marked Altamirano’s first UFC win, and his promotional record now stands at 1-1. For Da Silva, this was a tough loss, as he falls to 0-3 in the promotion, and he has been finished in each of those fights.
AORIQILENG (22-9, 136) VS JAY PERRIN (10-5, 136) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Both fighters were looking for short combinations early, but it was Aoriqileng who landed the first big shot, a hard left hook that knocked Perrin back. Perrin wrapped Aoriqileng up in the clinch and bought himself time to recover, however, Aoriqileng continued to walk Perrin down on the feet, throwing heavy hooks that were dictating the pace of the fight. Aoriqileng went for a knee late in the round, but Perrin was able to catch the leg, and Perrin successfully took Aoriqileng down before time expired. 10-9 Aoriqileng.
Aoriqileng nearly caught Perrin with a flying knee in the opening minute of round two. Perrin was quickly able to take Aoriqileng back down, and he took top position on the ground with four minutes to work. Aoriqileng was able to escape to his feet without taking much damage, and he resumed his earlier forward pressure as he attempted to make up ground. A counter right hand from Aoriqileng seemed to stun Perrin, but he recovered quickly. Perrin was tagged by a number of heavy calf kicks, and as a result, he started to hunt for a takedown with more aggression, however Aoriqileng was able to stay on his feet this time. 20-18 Aoriqileng.
They wrestled against the cage for the first minute of the final round, where neither man was able to gain advantage of the position. Aoriqileng continued to land the better shots after they separated, which prompted Perrin to return to his wrestling, as he attempted to bring Aoriqileng down against the cage. While he was unable to get Aoriqileng down, Perrin did land a number of solid shots in the clinch before they separated. They traded wild strikes to end the fight, with Perrin seemingly getting the better of the exchange. 29-28 Aoriqileng.
WINNER: Aoriqileng by unanimous decision (29-28 all)
The crowd was not pleased with the decision, but I thought Aoriqileng took the first two rounds fairly decisively. He was clearly landing the more damaging strikes, and while Perrin did have a period of top control in the second round, it was hardly enough to earn him the round. Perrin did come on strong in the third round, and his aggression on the feet in the final minute of the round was particularly effective, hurting Aoriqileng just before time expired. Aoriqileng is now 2-2 in the UFC following this win.
AMIR ALBAZI (14-1, 126) VS FRANCISCO FIGUEIREDO (13-4-1, 1 NC, 125.5) – FLYWEIGHT
Figueiredo landed a few kicks to the body in the opening seconds of the bout. Eventually, Albazi caught a kick from Figueiredo and he tripped Figueiredo to the ground, where Albazi began to work from his guard. Albazi threw down a number of hard ground and pound strikes, but Figueiredo was able to create a scramble to return to his feet. It did not take Albazi long to return the fight to the ground, and he was able to take Figueiredo’s back after an ill-advised heel hook attempt from Figueiredo. Albazi was quickly locked in a rear naked choke, and Figueiredo was forced to submit.
WINNER: Amir Albazi by rear naked choke at 4:34 of Round 1
This was a dominant performance from Albazi, who was able to take Figueiredo down at will, and easily controlled the action once he brought it there. Figueiredo is no slouch on the ground, but Albazi was clearly a step ahead, and it did not take him long to ultimately trap Figueiredo in the fight-ending submission. Albazi has not been the most active fighter due to injuries, but he’s looked fantastic in his three UFC appearances, and he improved to 3-0 in the promotion with this win.
A.J. FLETCHER (9-1, 170.5) VS ANGE LOOSA (8-3, 170.5) – WELTERWEIGHT
Both fighters were swinging heavy hands to begin this fight, however, neither man was able to find their range, and the pace of the fight soon calmed. Fletcher was doing a good job of catching Loosa with straight punches down the middle, and the fighters traded body shots. Loosa connected with two power right hands late in the round, which were likely his most significant strikes to that point. Fletcher did not have an answer for the right hands of Loosa, which were repeatedly finding their target, and likely gave him the edge in what was otherwise a close round. 10-9 Loosa.
The right hooks from Loosa continued to trouble Fletcher in the second round. Despite this, Fletcher pressed forward, looking to close the distance with his jab. Loosa changed levels and took Fletcher down in response, but Fletcher was quickly able to return to his feet. Fletcher’s constant pressure was slowing Loosa down, and eventually, the constant activity began to overwhelm him. Fletcher started teeing off on Loosa with a seemingly endless combination against the cage, effectively dropping him at one point, however, Loosa was able to recover, and he ended the round in top position after taking Fletcher down.19-19.
Fletcher was exhausted going into round three following his output in round two, but Loosa did not have significantly more gas left in his tank. Loosa took Fletcher back to the ground, landing numerous ground and pound strikes, and it appeared as though referee Mike Beltran was on the verge of stopping the fight. Fletcher was able to survive the onslaught, but was unable to return to his feet, and this was a very clear round for Loosa. 29-28 Loosa.
WINNER: Ange Loosa by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Fletcher was very close to finishing Loosa in round two, but Loosa somehow weathered the storm, and Fletcher was beyond exhausted following his second-round flurry. Loosa came back to win the third round in dominant fashion, utilizing his wrestling ability to take Fletcher down and control the fight from top position. Loosa is now 1-1 in the UFC following this win, and Fletcher has fallen to 0-2.
SEAN WOODSON (9-1, 146) VS LUIS SALDANA (16-7, 145.5) – FEATHERWEIGHT
Woodson utilized his reach advantage to keep Saldana at the range, while Saldana attempted to attack Woodson’s body with kicks. A counter hook from Saldana had Woodson badly hurt, and he dropped him moments later with a jab. Woodson was practically unconscious, but Saldana kneed him in the head on the ground, and he was given time to recover while Saldana was deducted a point for the foul. This was one of the most puzzling decisions I’ve ever seen in an MMA fight from Luis Saldana, who was seconds away from winning this fight. Regardless, the fight resumed, and Saldana was unable to regain the momentum he had earlier in the round. 9-9.
Saldana was fighting well from the backfoot in the second round, countering strongly whenever Woodson attempted to close the distance. Still, Woodson seemed to have recovered from the damage he had sustained in the first round and was finding more success for himself on the feet, tagging Saldana with his long strikes down the middle. Saldana eventually opted to change levels, and he took Woodson to the ground with two and half minutes remaining in the round. Woodson was hunting for submissions off of his back, and he nearly caught Saldana in a buggy choke at one point. Saldana was able to survive the submission attempts, but he spent the final two minutes of this round in disadvantageous positions. 19-18 Woodson.
Saldana attempted to bring the fight back to the ground in the third round, however, Woodson’s defense held up well, and the fight remained on the feet. Both fighters were fatigued by the final round, but Woodson seemed to have the slight edge in activity. That being said, Saldana was still seemingly landing the more damaging strikes, occasionally throwing heavy spinning backfists. This was a close round, but I gave the edge to Saldana. 28-28.
Result: Split Draw (29-27, 28-28, 27-29)
Saldana had this fight finished multiple times in the first round, but he made some puzzling decisions, first refusing to finish a clearly rocked Woodson, and then catching him with a blatantly illegal knee following the more impactful knockdown. This was a strange fight to watch, and it was perhaps fitting that it would result in a split draw. The scorecards were all over the place with this one, with two judges awarding Saldana the second round, and two judges scoring the third round in favor of Woodson, which was not how I saw the bout. Woodson’s UFC record now stands at 3-1-1 following this bout, and Saldana is now 2-1-1 in the promotion.
LEONARDO SANTOS (18-5, 156) VS JARED GORDON (18-5, 155.5) – LIGHTWEIGHT
Santos and Gordon spent the first minutes of the bout testing their range. Gordon was doing his best to close the distance, but Santos was keeping Gordon from getting overly aggressive by threatening counters. Late in the round, Gordon flurried forward with a vicious combination of strikes, which was clearly the most significant moment of the bout to that point. While Gordon didn’t have Santos in serious trouble, he was able to attack the head and body in combination, ending the opening round strongly. 10-9 Gordon.
Santos attempted to wrap Gordon up in the clinch, but Gordon attacked the body every time Santos engaged Gordon in the position, forcing Santos to withdraw. Gordon tagged Santo with a strong right hook, which prompted Santos to shoot for a takedown. He was able to get Gordon down near the cage but lost his position as he attempted to take Gordon’s back. This was not the most eventful round; however, I thought Gordon was able to land the more damaging shots and took the round on my scorecard. 20-18 Gordon.
The pace of the fight did not pick up much in the third round. Gordon continued to find success attacking the body in the clinch, and Santos did not appear to have many answers for Gordon, who seemed to be the fresher fighter as well. Santos attempted to change levels, but Gordon sprawled on the attempt, and Santos did not have the energy to escape from under Gordon. 30-27 Gordon.
WINNER: Jared Gordon by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
While this was far from the most exciting fight, Gordon fought with an effective game plan, constantly attacking the body of Santos, and limiting the activity of his opponent as a result. At one point in time, Santos was a fighter with a lot of potential, however age and injuries have taken their toll on him, and he has now lost three consecutive fights after going ten years without a loss prior to this current skid. For Gordon, this was a solid way to rebound from a loss in his last bout to Grant Dawson, and he has now won four of his last five fights.
ALEXANDER ROMANOV (16-0, 239.5) VS MARCIN TYBURA (22-7, 252.5) – HEAVYWEIGHT
Romanov wasted little time in throwing Tybura to the ground. Tybura attempted to pick himself up along the cage, but Romanov was very strong from top position, holding him down. Romanov threw down numerous ground and pound shots, and Tybura was warned constantly that he needed to improve his position to prevent the fight from being stopped. Tybura did enough to remain in the fight, but this was a very rough round for him. 10-8 Romanov.
Romanov brought Tybura right back to the cage in round two, but this time Tybura was able to defend Romanov’s attempts to bring the fight to the ground and remained on his feet. Romanov tagged Tybura with a strong left hook, before Tybura caught him with a heavy hook of his own. Tybura was having more success in this second round, and Romanov was starting to look a bit tired. A body shot from Tybura was misidentified as a low blow, and there was a shot break in the action. Tybura swept Romanov to the ground when the action resumed, where he began to work from north-south position. Tybura landed solid shots to the head and body from this position, ending the round in a strong position. 19-18 Romanov.
Both fighters were looking tired by this third round, which resulted in a fairly even battle on the feet early in the round. Tybura landed a heavy leg kick that got a big reaction out of Romanov. Romanov caught Tybura with a right hand before Tybura responded with a very solid body shot. While this was far from the most eventful round, Tybura was the busier fighter, and that was likely enough to give him the edge in this final round. 28-28.
WINNER: Martin Tybura by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Romanov had a very dominant opening round, and it seemed as though he was on the verge of victory going into round two, but his cardio betrayed him, and Tybura took control of this fight in the second round. Personally, I saw the first round as a 10-8 round for Romanov, and thus, scored the fight a draw, but the judges were not as willing to hand out those 10-8’s, and Tybura ultimately had his arm raised in the end. Tybura has now won six of his last seven fights, with that one loss coming to Alexander Volkov in his previous fight. This marked Romanov’s first professional loss in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, and despite the loss, Romanov remains one of the top prospects in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
TYSON PEDRO (8-3, 205.5) VS HARRY HUNSUCKER (7-5, 204.5) – LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
An early jab from Pedro hurt Hunsucker, and he followed that up with a front kick to the body that sent Hunsucker to the ground. Pedro followed Hunsucker down and threw down vicious right hands until the fight was stopped.
WINNER: Tyson Pedro by TKO at 1:05 of Round 1
Pedro was a sizeable favorite going into this fight, and the oddsmakers definitely had it right with this one. Pedro just ran through Hunsucker here, catching him with an early jab, before landing the kick to the body that finished the fight. While it has admittedly not been against the highest level of competition, Pedro has looked very good in his two fights since returning from injury, stopping both Hunsucker and Ike Villanueva in the first round. Pedro’s UFC record stands at 5-3 following this win.
YANAN WU (13-5, 136) VS LUCIE PUDILOVA (13-7, 135.5) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Wu partially caught Pudilova with a knee as Pudilova shot in for a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight. Wu was able to defend Pudilova’s early attempts at bringing the fight to the ground and landed a solid elbow on the break. Eventually, Pudilova was successful in bringing the fight to the ground, where she began to work from half guard. While Pudilova was very inactive from top position, she was able to maintain top control for quite some time. Wu scrambled to her feet in the final seconds of the round, but was unable to create any significant offense for herself.
Wu was the more active fighter on the feet but was landing a very small percentage of her strikes, as was Pudilova. Eventually, Pudilova was able to take Wu back to the ground with a head and arm throw, where she immediately took the back of Wu. Pudilova was looking for a rear naked choke, but she could not find the submission. Instead, she postured up and started throwing down elbows, which eventually resulted in the fight being stopped.
WINNER: Lucie Pudilova by TKO at 4:04 of Round 2
Neither fighter was able to make much happen on the feet, but Pudilova had a clear advantage on the ground. While Pudilova was not terribly active with her control time in the opening round, she really pursued the finish after getting Wu down in round two, which ultimately resulted in the second-round stoppage. Pudilova was released from the UFC in 2020 after losing four consecutive fights, but she was able to rebound with a 5-1 record outside of the promotion, which led to her promotional return here. Yanan Wu’s UFC record now stands at 1-5, and I would not be surprised if this marked her final fight in the promotion, at least for the time being.
JOSE ALDO (31-7, 136) VS MERAB DVALISHVILI (14-4, 136) – BANTAMWEIGHT
Aldo came out to a huge ovation from the Salt Lake City crowd.
Dvalishvili circled Aldo early, before letting loose with a spinning back kick to the body. Dvalishvili did a good job of backing Aldo into the cage but was unable to get Aldo down with a single leg. They exchanged leg kicks, with Aldo seemingly landing the harder kick. Dvalishvili was slightly more active than Aldo though, who seemed content to wait for opportunities to counter. This strategy put Aldo behind in the round in terms of activity, although he was able to knock Dvalishvili off balance with a counter hook at one point. Aldo caught Dvalishvili with a knee to the body on his way in, before throwing a heavy right hand that Dvalishvili was able to avoid. Aldo flurried forward with a combination to the body to end the round. It was a close five minutes, but I gave the edge to Ald. 10-9 Aldo.
Aldo opened up with a leg kick in the second round, which Dvalishvili was able to counter with an overhand right. Aldo’s takedown defense continued to hold up, however, Dvalishvili was able to land numerous knees to the legs of Aldo against the cage. Aldo continued to attack the body in combination, while Dvalishvili shot for unsuccessful takedown attempts. Despite being unable to take Aldo down, Dvalishvili racked up a solid amount of control time against the cage, which resulted in another close round. 19-19 on my scorecard.
Aldo defended another takedown attempt to begin the final round. Activity continued to be Dvalishvili’s friend, while the constant takedown defense was chipping away at Aldo’s cardio. Aldo was still landing solid counter shots, but he was falling behind in the round, and he needed to start going on the attack if he wanted to change the momentum of the bout. That moment never came for Aldo, and Dvalishvili’s more consistent offense, as well as control time against the cage, earned him this final round. 29-28 Dvalishvili.
WINNER: Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Jose Aldo showcased some fantastic takedown defense throughout this fight; however, defense doesn’t win fights, damage and activity does. Dvalishvili was relentless with his pressure, which resulted in Aldo being hesitant to engage offensively. It was a great performance from Merab Dvalishvili against a legend of the sport, and this was certainly his biggest win to date. After the fight, Dvalishvili made it clear that he has no interest in fighting the division’s current champion, Aljamain Sterling, who is his training partner. If T.J. Dillashaw defeats Sterling for the title at UFC 280, then Dvalishvili would be the logical next challenger for that title, but if Sterling retains, then it’s tougher to predict what’s next for Dvalishvili. For Aldo, this loss has extinguished his title shot hopes for the time being. There are still plenty of interesting fights remaining for the multiple-time featherweight champion, with Dominick Cruz being my personal hope for Aldo’s next fight.
PAULO COSTA (13-2, 185.5) VS LUKE ROCKHOLD (16-5, 185.5) – MIDDLEWEIGHT
Rockhold began the fight with a lead right hand. Costa caught Rockhold with a right hand on his way in, and Costa tagged Rockhold with a barrage of them as Rockhold attempted to separate from Costa and recover. Costa opted to take Rockhold to the ground, where he began to work from the guard of Rockhold. Costa mounted Rockhold, but a guillotine attempt from Rockhold made him give up his position. Rockhold scrambled to his feet, where he landed four consecutive kicks to the body. Rockhold connected with a looping right hand to end the round. 10-9 Costa.
Rockhold caught Cota with a pair of heavy left hands to begin the second round before the fighters began to wrestle against the cage. The fighters traded hooks, with Costa seemingly landing the heavier strike. Rockhold looked absolutely exhausted but was still throwing with enough power to keep Costa hesitant. A left hand from Rockhold stunned Costa, before the fighters traded head kicks. A spinning wheel kick from Costa narrowly missed its target, before he caught Rockhold with the mother of all low blows, a vicious uppercut that landed below the belt. Rockhold was given time to recover, which was something that he was in desperate need of. They traded kicks to the body, with Costa landing the more damaging blows. 20-18 Costa.
Costa slipped to the ground early in the third round, and Rockhold tried to capitalize by following him to the ground. Costa immediately popped back to his feet, and he was doing a ton of damage with his jab. Rockhold was in rough shape, but a left hand from Rockhold was enough to back Costa off of him for the time being. Costa sprawled on a takedown attempt from Rockhold, and he took top position with two and half minutes to work. Costa was able to take the back of Rockhold but was unable to find the rear naked choke, and Rockhold took top position before time expired. 30-27 Costa.
WINNER: Paulo Costa by unanimous decision (30-27 all)
This fight was a fifteen-minute war, with Costa and Rockhold just teeing off on each other for the vast majority of the bout. Rockhold gassed out in the first round, but he had absolutely no quit in him, and despite being the recipient of some absolute bombs from Paulo Costa, he always stayed on his feet, going the distance for the first time since 2012. Costa was tired himself, but I thought he did a better job of working through his exhaustion, winning every round with his constant activity. It’s tough to say what this win over 37-year-old Luke Rockhold, who has not won a fight since 2017, will do for Costa, but it gets him back into the win column, and for now, that’s enough for the former UFC middleweight title challenger.
After the fight, Luke Rockhold announced his retirement from Mixed Martial Arts. If this was indeed his final fight, Rockhold will retire from the sport with a professional record of 16-6, with four of those losses coming in his final five fights. Rockhold was a champion in both Strikeforce and the UFC, and his career was highlighted by wins over Jacare Souza, Chris Weidman, Michael Bisping, and Lyoto Machida.
KAMARU USMAN (20-1, 170) VS LEON EDWARDS (19-3, 1 NC, 170) – UFC WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
This was a rematch of a fight from December of 2015, a three-round bout that Usman won by unanimous decision.
Usman and Edwards met in the center of the cage during the introductions to face off, and the fighters did not tough gloves. Edwards attacked the lead leg of Usman with kicks throughout the opening minute, as Usman attempted to back him into the cage. Usman shot in for a takedown and was able to take top position after an ill-advised guillotine attempt from Edwards. Edwards scrambled to his feet, but was unable to create the separation that he needed to get away from Usman. They spent a considerable amount of time wrestling against the cage, before Edwards took Usman down with a trip, becoming the first fighter to take Kamaru Usman down in the UFC. Edwards landed strong shots from top mount, which forced Usman to give up his back. Edwards locked in a body triangle to keep Usman in place, and he began to search for a rear naked choke. Usman was able to defend the attempts, but this was a clear round for Edwards.
Edwards began the second round with a kick to the body but was quickly backed into the cage by Usman. A jab from Usman resulted in a big reaction from Edwards, and Usman went on the attack, swarming him with strikes against the cage. Edwards weathered the storm, before accidentally catching Usman with a thumb to the eye, which resulted in a quick pause in the action. A straight left hand from Edwards got Usman’s attention before the fighters traded body shots. A right hand from Usman backed Edwards off of him, but a left hand from Edwards in response found its target. Edwards shot for a takedown, but Usman easily defended the attempt and threatened a submission before the fighters returned to their feet. They traded big elbows, before Usman connected with a vicious combination to the body. Usman ended the round with a takedown.
Usman was able to take Edwards down just over a minute into round three, and while Edwards was able to pick himself up against the cage, he was still in a disadvantageous position as Usman held him against the cage. They traded knees to the body before breaking apart before Usman went back to attacking the body. Usman brought Edwards back to the ground, where he was able to partially take the back of Edwards. Edwards was able to prevent Usman from doing much with the position but was unable to escape to his feet.
The fighters traded leg kicks to begin the fourth round. Edwards attempted to take Usman’s back against the cage after a big swing from Usman, and while he didn’t get his desired position, he did rack up a couple of minutes of control time. Usman took Edwards back down after they separated, where he landed short strikes from on top to maintain his position. Usman and Edwards were constantly grabbing the cage, especially Usman, however it was Edwards who was punished after he blatantly grabbed the cage to get up, as the fighters were returned to the previous position. In the final seconds of the fight, Usman really began to tee off on Edwards against the cage, securing the round.
Edwards corner stressed to him that he was in need of a finish going into round five. Usman continued to dig into Edwards’ body, which was allowing him to easily close the distance on his takedown attempts. Edwards was able to defend Usman’s early attempts at taking the fight to the ground, which led to a lengthy period of inactivity against the cage. They were eventually separated due to inactivity with two and a half minutes remaining in the fight. Edwards was landing good kicks to the legs and body of Usman, but nothing that threatened a finish. Just when it looked as though time was going to run out on Edwards, he went high with a head kick, and it knocked Kamaru Usman unconscious.
WINNER: Leon Edwards by KO at 4:04 to win the UFC Welterweight Championship
Edwards was down big going into the fifth round and was in desperate need of a finish to win this fight. Things were looking dire, and the commentators were practically writing Leon’s obituary, but Edwards caught Usman with the perfect head kick with less than a minute remaining in the bout and is now the UFC Welterweight Champion. This was an all-time great finish, and Edwards prevented Usman from tying Anderson Silva’s all-time UFC win streak record with this knockout victory. There is really no underselling how shocking this victory was, and it immediately sends me back to UFC 117, where middleweight champion Anderson Silva had been dominated by Chael Sonnen for the better part of twenty-three minutes before Silva pulled a triangle choke out of nowhere to win the fight. This was a historic victory for Leon Edwards, who has now gone undefeated throughout an eleven-fight span.
