UFC 278 Champion Kamaru Usman Is Knocked Out By Leon Edwards In Round Five After A Head Kick
The MMA world has been shocked by the shocking performance of Leon Edwards.
Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman in the final round of a fight he was comfortably losing in the main event of UFC 278 here at Vivint Arena on Saturday night with a head kick he landed in the last round of the fight.
After 4 minutes, 4 seconds of the fifth round, the fight came to an end. There was a time when Usman was considered to be the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound.
UFC 278 Champion Kamaru Usman Is Knocked Out By Leon Edwards In Round Five After A Head Kick
Edwards snapped Usman’s 15-fight winning streak in the UFC, which was one shy of Anderson Silva’s record of 16 consecutive victories.
I believe that it was one of the most stunning knockouts in the history of the sport.
Edwards said, “I don’t know what to say; I can’t put it into words.”.
After the first round of the fight, Kamaru Usman had been dominating the fight. In spite of this, Usman leaned down to his right to defend against an Edwards left and Edwards promptly caught him flush with a left head kick, sending the more than 17,000 in attendance into a frenzy.
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Despite the fact that Usman was out of contact, he was less than a minute away from defending his sixth title.
It started out with the Salt Lake City fans chanting for Usman, but by the end of it, they were chanting for Edwards, whose nickname is Rocky.
Edwards said, “Look at me now!” as he stared at the camera. “Look at me now! I’m pound-for-pound the best!”
It is no surprise that ESPN has Usman ranked No. 1 on its pound-for-pound list, as well as No. 1 at welterweight.
When Edwards entered the fight, ESPN had him ranked No. 4 in the welterweight division. As a rematch of their fight that took place back in December 2015, Usman won by a unanimous decision.
During the last seven years, Edwards (20-3, 1 NC) has fought 11 straight fights without being defeated.
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Since that fight with Usman in 2015, the Jamaican-born resident of England has not lost a single match. During his time in the UFC, Edwards has compiled a 12-2 (1 NC) record.
Prior to the loss on Saturday, Usman (20-2) had made five title defenses, losing each time. Since Tyron Woodley won the UFC 235 welterweight title in March 2019, the Nigerian-born fighter, who trains out of Colorado, has held the title of UFC welterweight champion.