UFC 278 results: Leon Edwards knocks out Kamaru Usman in shocking fashion, wins UFC welterweight title

Daniel Yanofsky

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UFC 278 results: Leon Edwards knocks out Kamaru Usman in shocking fashion, wins UFC welterweight title image

Leon Edwards waited for his opportunity at a title shot. Delays, opponent changes and a pandemic all halted his attempt at gold. Once he finally received his shot, "Rocky" made the most of it. 

Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman to win the UFC welterweight title at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City on Saturday. He landed a perfectly timed kick to Usman's face after he was considered down and out in the fight.  

"I told you I could do it. Look at me now," Edwards said after the fight. "Pound for pound what?”

Edwards was ready to prove he was a different fighter than he was when he lost to Usman in 2015. He did that early in the first round when he became the first fighter to take Usman down in his career. It was a shocking moment in front of a packed crowd at Vivint Arena. 

Following that, however, Usman took control. He took down Edwards several times, landing sharp elbows in the process. Edwards' corner was animated between rounds, chastising Edwards for being lackadaisical. Edwards' takedown defense improved over time, but it appeared as if Usman was going to walk away with the win. 

MORE: MMA Schedule 2022: Date, division, location for upcoming fights

There was controversy when Edwards was caught holding the cage. Usman also had to deal with an eye poke and and a shot below the belt. In the fifth, Edwards feinted a punch and then landed one of the biggest kicks in UFC history. The crowd was shocked. 

With Usman losing, Anderson Silva's 16-fight winning streak remains the UFC record.

Edwards competed in his third fifth round in the UFC. It appears he will now face the winner of the UFC 279 fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz.

A rematch with Usman is also a possibility. UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference that he is looking for a trilogy fight between the two in England.  

The Sporting News provided live analysis of UFC 278: 

UFC 278 live results, highlights

Leon Edwards knocks out Kamaru Usman in shocking fashion, wins UFC welterweight title

Round 5: Knee by Edwards to start the round. Usman attempts to take Edwards down again, but he is able to block it. By the cage, referee Herb Dean makes the fighters halt to get them to do something. Low blow now, and Usman has to take a break. Leon Edwards knocks out Kamaru Usman with a leg kick! We have a new champion! (4:04 into the fifth round) 

Round 4: Two big shots by Usman land to open the round. Edwards with a kick to the body. He is backing up and Usman tries to press forward. Edwards takes his back and smothers Usman by the cage. Now free, Usman takes down Edwards. Usman starts pounding away at him. Edwards has no answer for Usman's relentless pressure. Usman lands combinations and drops him again. Fence grab by Edwards halts the action. Usman lands big shots in the final few seconds of the round. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Usman (39-37, Usman)

Round 3: High kick by Edwards is blocked by Usman. Low inside kick by Edwards lands. Usman goes for the takedown and gets him down. He elbows Edwards, but Edwards gets back up. Usman stays behind Edwards and lands body shots. Back in the center, and Edwards lands a few combinations. Usman lands a body shot and an elbow and takes Edwards back down. He smothers Edwards. Usman is battering Edwards from all angles now. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Usman (29-28, Usman) 

Round 2: Edwards lands a front kick to start the round. Usman connects with two big blows. He has Edwards up by the cage. Edwards' foot was stuck and Usman is now landing multiple big blows. Uppercuts are connecting. Eye poke by Edwards halts the action. Leg kick by Usman and a punch by Edwards. Now a side kick by Edwards. Edwards then lands a straight left. Kick by Usman. Right hand by Usman. Kick by Usman is countered with a hook by Edwards. Edwards tries the takedown but Usman ends up on top. Edwards is up. An elbow by Usman and one by Edwards. Combination body shots by Usman and he takes down Edwards. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Usman (19-19) 

Round 1: The fighters do not touch gloves. Edwards tries a leg kick but Usman denies him. He connects on a kick with another attempt. Usman lands a jab and tries to take Edwards down. Edwards defends the takedown attempt. He makes a mistake and now Usman ends up on top. By the cage, Usman checks Edwards' legs. Edwards trips Usman and lands on top of him. He has the full mount. He tries to submit Usman by locking in the body triangle. Going for the rear-naked choke, Usman tries to block it. Edwards lands elbows before the end of the round. 

SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Edwards

The main event is up next: Kamaru Usman defends the UFC welterweight title against Leon Edwards. It is a rematch years in the making. 

Luke Rockhold retires following the fight. 

Paulo Costa def. Luke Rockhold in a wild bout

12:05 a.m. ET: Round 3 begins with Costa landing a big knee. He tries one again and falls. Rockhold tries to take advantage but slips. Right by Costa. Rockhold with a left. Rockhold badly misses a shot. He lands a major blow and the two are putting on a weird but entertaining show. Costa has his hands behind his back. Rockhold tries to wrestle but Costa sprawls. Costa is now on the back of Rockhold. Rockhold is now on top as he smothers his blood on Costa's face. Costa wins this wild fight via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27,30-27). But there are no winners of that fight, only survivors. 

11:55 p.m. ET: Spinning backfist by Rockhold. The thin Utah air is affecting both men. Low kick by Costa. Body kick by Costa. Rockhold's body language is not looking great. 

11:50 p.m. ET: Rockhold refuses to sit between rounds. Elbow by Rockhold. Multiple leg kicks and then he tries to take Costa down. Rockhold rushes and Costa reverses. Body shot by Costa and a leg kick to the body. Spinning kick by Rockhold. Roundhouse kick. His hands are down now. High kick by Rockhold, and Costa exchanges. Rockhold looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. He walks away and just avoids a spinning kick. Low blow by Costa and he thought he had won. Rockhold just walks around during his break. 

11:40 p.m. ET: One of the weirdest rivalries in UFC history is up next as Luke Rockhold faces Paulo Costa in a middleweight bout. Rockhold has a compression sleeve from near his knee down. Both exchange shots right away. Rockhold kicks Costa. Costa lands vicious shots to Rockhold's face. Left hook by Costa and then he takes Rockhold down. While on top, Costa provides pressure. Rockhold tries a guillotine but Costa transitions to the mount. Rockhold gets back up. Multiple body kicks by Rockhold, who has a bloody nose. Rockhold looks exhausted.  

Merab Dvalishvili def. Jose Aldo via unanimous decision

11:25 p.m. ET: Round 3 starts with Dvalishvili trying for another takedown. Dvalishvili attempts to strike down Aldo. Knee to the body by Aldo, and another. Dvalishvili is stalking Aldo. He lands a a few solid shots to the face of Aldo, who is not adding much to the fight. Dvalishvili's cardio, in this Utah elevation, is something else. He ends up winning via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27). 

11:18 p.m. ET: Round 2 begins and Aldo tries pushing forward. Dvalishvili grabs Aldo by the cage and smothers him. Aldo yawns, to the delight of the restless crowd. Now back in the middle, Aldo lands combinations and a kick. Dvalishvili shoots for a takedown but Aldo's takedown defense is incredible. Dvalishvili tries it a few more times, but nothing is clicking. Leg kick by Aldo. Now both exchange strikes to end the round. 

11:05 p.m. ET: A huge fight in the bantamweight division is up next as Merab Dvalishvili faces Jose Aldo. UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is in Dvalishvili's corner. Dvalishvili with a kick to start things and he backs Aldo up. He tries to take Aldo down but Aldo rejects the attempt. Leg kick by Aldo. Front kick by Aldo as Dvalishvili continues to act as the aggressor. Left hook by Aldo pushes Dvalishvili back. Combinations by Aldo. Knee to the body by Dvalishvili. A big shot to the body by Aldo to end Round 1. 

Lucie Pudilova def. Wu Yanan after vicious elbows

10:50 p.m. ET: Round 2 sees both fighters stay on their feet. As they exchange strikes, nobody has a clear edge in this round. Pudilova takes down Wu with a headlock and attempts a rear-naked choke. While she doesn't get the choke, Pudilova lands elbows and strikes. With Wu not defending herself, the referee calls the fight (4:04 into Round 2). 

10:40 p.m. ET: Women's bantamweight action is up next as Wu Yanan faces Lucie Pudilova. Pudilova tries to bully Wu by the cage early, thanks to the direction of coach John Kavanagh. She then takes Wu down the floor. Wu attempts an armbar, to no avail. Pudilova gets onto Wu's back and then smothers her by the cage. 

Tyson Pedro opens the UFC 278 main card a with TKO win over Harry Hunsucker  

10:25 p.m. ET: The main card begins with a light heavyweight bout, Tyson Pedro vs. Harry Hunsucker. Hunsucker is the aggressor right away. Pedro hurts him with a jab and then just takes him down with a huge kick to the body. This one is over 1:05 into the first round!   

10:15 p.m. ET: Following a late final prelim bout, UFC 278's main card has begun. 

10 p.m. ET: A shot below the belt lands from Tybura in Round 2. Romanov responds with a flurry of heavy shots. Tybura ends up on top and lands on Tybura's back. Romanov turns it around and lands big shots before the end of the round. They square off in Round 3 but are tired. Tybura ends up winning via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28). 

9:45p.m. ET: Heavyweights look to close the UFC 278 prelims as Marcin Tybura faces Alexander Romanov. Romanov with a quick takedown suplex. He lands another big one that wows the crowd. Romanov would not stop landing shots to the face of Romanov while on the floor. It appears to be a 10-8 round. 

9:35 p.m. ET: Gordon lands a hook to the body and starts working on the floor in Round 3. Santos lands a spinning back elbow before the round ends. Gordon wins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). 

9:15 p.m. ET: Jared Gordon comes out to "Edge of Seventeen" for his fight against Leonardo Santos. They exchange blows through the first two rounds, with no clear advantage for either fighter. 

9:10 p.m. ET: Following an uneventful Round 3, the results come in. In a weird fight, Saldana-Woodson is ruled a draw (29-27, Woodson; 29-27, Saldana; 28-28). 

8:45 p.m. ET: Featherweights Sean Woodson and Luis Saldana is up next. A big check hook hurts Woodson, but Saldana doesn't take advantage. He instead lands an illegal knee to the head of Woodson and loses a point. That might have been a rare 9-8 first round for Saldana. In the second round, Woodson almost lands the first Buggy Choke in UFC history. 

8:25 p.m. ET: A.J. Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa kicks off the prelims. Fletcher looks gassed in Round 3 after he controlled the second round. Loosa uses his wrestling to smother Fletcher. The crowd was restless while the final round was going on. Loosa ends up winning via unanimous decision. (29-27, 29-28, 29-28). 

8 p.m. ET: The prelims have started. Prior to them, Victor Altamirano and Daniel Lacerda had a violent first round that saw Altamirano win via TKO. Aori Qileng defeated Jay Perrin via unanimous decision and Amir Albazi submitted Francisco Figueiredo. 

UFC 278 fight card

Main card

  • Leon Edwards def. Kamaru Usman (c) via 5th-round KO for the UFC welterweight title (4:04).
  • Paulo Costa def. Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
  • Merab Dvalishvili def. Jose Aldo via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27).
  • Lucie Pudilova def. Wu Yanan via 2nd-round TKO (4:04). 
  • Tyson Pedro def. Harry Hunsucker via 1st-round TKO (1:05). 

Prelims

  • Marcin Tybura def. Alexandr Romanov via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 28–28).
  • Jared Gordon def. Leonardo Santos via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
  • Sean Woodson vs. Luis Saldana ends in a split decision draw (29–27, 27–29, 28–28).
  • Ange Loosa def. A.J. Fletcher via unanimous decision (29–27, 29–28, 29–28).

Fight Pass prelims

  • Amir Albazi def. Francisco Figueiredo via rear-naked choke (4:34 into Round 1) 
  • Aori Qileng def. Jay Perrin via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).
  • Victor Altamirano def. Daniel Lacerda via 1st-round TKO (3:39). 

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Daniel Yanofsky

Daniel Yanofsky Photo

Daniel Yanofsky is the Combat Sports Editor for The Sporting News since late 2021. Prior to working for TSN, Daniel provided insight on combat sports for Fightful, FIGHT SPORTS, and Wrestling Inc. A proud Ithaca College alum, when he isn’t working on his golf game, Daniel is advocating for three-minute rounds in women's boxing.

You can follow him on Twitter via @DanYanofsky.