Leon Edwards surprised everyone. Edwards’ “Rocky” story came to life with a late-round head-kick knockout at UFC 278 on Saturday.
After scoring a takedown on the champion in Round 1, Edwards struggled to gain momentum. Usman beat Silva with a combination of good wrestling and heavy boxing. He is getting close to Anderson Silva’s record for the most times he has defended his title.
Usman’s pace slowed in Round 5, but it was likely to lead to a unanimous decision win for the champ. Edwards’ team begged him to come to life in the final round.
Edwards jabbed and kicked Usman, knocking him out at 4:04 of Round 5.
Boxing and MMA fans? Learn about combat sports from two experts. Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell has the best UFC 278 analysis and news.
“Pound-for-pound, Headshot “Edwards told Joe Rogan post-fight. “I’ve felt this week like it’s my time. Past events pandemic for two years. It’s rust-free. Look at me! “
Edwards beat Usman (20-3, 1 NC). and 11 straight wins for him. Usman lost his 19th straight fight, his first in nine years.
It marked the fourth latest finish in a championship match, just seconds after Usman’s 2019 finish of Colby Covington.
Usman remained hopeful. The former champion promised vengeance on Twitter.
UFC president Dana White insisted on a trilogy post-fight. White suggested Wembley Arena for the rubber match.
“Usman fought perfectly,” said White. “Usman had a lot at stake tonight. Usman fought confidently all night. He landed big body, head, and elbow shots, which may not be fan-friendly. He fought flawlessly until the end. “
CBS Sports has the UFC 278 results and highlights below.
The card for UFC 278 and the results
Leon Edwards (c) beat Kamaru Usman via fifth-round KO (head kick).
Paulo Costa beat Luke Rockhold 1-0. (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Merab Dvalishvili beat Jose Aldo by UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Lucie Pudilova beat Wu Yanan by a second-round TKO (elbows).
Tyson Pedro defeated Harry Hunsucker via first-round TKO (punches).
Marcin Tybura beat Alexander Romanov by a majority (29-28, 28-29, 28-28).
Jared Gordon beat Leonardo Santos unanimously (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Luis Saldana drew with Sean Woodson (29-27, 27-29, 28-28).
Ange Loosa beat A.J. Fletcher unanimously (29-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Amir Albazi submitted Francisco Figueiredo in the first round (rear-naked choke).
Aori Qileng beat Jay Perrin 1-0. (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Daniel Da Silva was KO’d in the first round by Victor Altamirano (punches).
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