The “Rocky” story of Leon Edwards came to life with a come-from-behind, head-kick knockout late in Round 5 of the main event of UFC 278 on Saturday night.
After becoming the first person to score a takedown on the nearly perfect champion in Round 1, Edwards struggled in the following rounds to build any kind of momentum. Usman took over the fight with his superior wrestling and slung heavy boxing combinations and seemed on his way to yet another title defence as he neared Anderson Silva’s record for most all time.
Usman’s pace slowed in Round 5, but it was likely leading towards a unanimous decision win for the champ as Edwards seemed defeated in his corner as his team begged him to come to life in the final round.
Suddenly, Edwards flicked out a right jab and fired up a left head kick that knocked Usman out cold at 4:04 of Round 5.
“Pound-for-pound. Headshot. Dead,” Edwards told UFC commentator Joe Rogan during his post-fight interview. “I said all week I felt like this is my moment. Everything that happened in the past. For the last two years, the pandemic. There is no ring rust. I told you, now look at me.”
Edwards improved to 20-3 (1 NC) with the win over Usman. His undefeated streak improved to 11. Usman saw his 19-fight winning streak snap in the blink of an eye and suffered his first loss in nine years.
It was the fourth latest finish in a championship fight — just seconds short of Usman’s own finish of Colby Covington in 2019.
Edwards and Usman fought a relatively subdued fifth round. Usman was generally the aggressor as Edwards tried to find space for his long-range weapons. The referee paused the action for an alleged kick below the belt by Edwards. “Rocky” threw low kicks to the outside and Usman was non-committal in response. Edwards feinted a right jab and hurled a head kick that stiffed up Kamaru Usman. Knock out and you have a new champion! Official result: Leon Edwards def. Kamaru Usman via KO, Round 5
Usman remained optimistic about his future. The former champion took to Twitter and promised to return with a vengeance.
UFC president Dana White, during a post-fight press conference with the media, insisted on a trilogy. White suggested Wembley Arena as a venue and expressed his desire to see the rubber match in England.
“I thought that Usman fought the perfect fight,” White said. “You think of everything that was on the line for Usman tonight. Usman fought with absolute and total confidence all night. It might not be the most fan-friendly style but he was landing big shots to the body, big shots to the head and elbows. He couldn’t have fought a more perfect fight until the last minute.”