UFC 278 went down last night (Sat., Aug. 20, 2022) from inside Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the main event of the evening, Leon Edwards stunned Kamaru Usman in the final minute of the fight, scoring a head kick knockout to win the Welterweight title (see it here). In the co-main event, Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa somehow made it past the finish line in a wacky, back-and-forth fight that ultimately saw Costa win the the unanimous decision (highlights).
Biggest Winner: Leon Edwards
This one isn’t a shocker. For the majority of the fight Edwards was being outclassed by Kamaru Usman, minus the first round…and then the last 60 seconds of the fight. That’s when “Rocky” unleashed a hellacious kick to the head that dropped “The Nigerian Nightmare” out cold. Edwards improves his win streak to 11, wins the title and earned himself a big-money rematch against Usman. “Rocky” showed that the fight isn’t over until the final bell rings, and while most counted him out in this fight, he silenced a lot of critics with one well-placed kick that gives Marlon Vera a run for his money. It was one of the most shocking endings to a title fight in recent memory. It has been a long and arduous road for Edwards, but now that he is at the top he is going to take the respect that has eluded him his entire career.
Runner Up: Merab Dvalishvili
No, it wasn’t the most exciting performance or victory, but a win is a win and Dvalsihvili scored a big one over Jose Aldo after controlling the pace of the fight with his grappling. With the win, Dvalishvili wins his eight straight fight and will crack the Top 5 in the insanely stacked Bantamweight division and moves one step closer to his first-ever title shot. With the win, “The Machine” snaps Aldo’s four-fight win streak and likely ended his final run at a UFC world title. Big things coming for Dvalishvili in the coming months.
Biggest Loser: Kamaru Usman
Usman was cruising against Edwards and was 60 seconds away from his twentieth straight win and sixth consecutive title defense before he was flattened by a nasty head kick from “Rocky.” Not only does Usman lose his strap and impressive win streak, but he loses out on a potential big title fight against Khamzat Chimaev, as well as a (clears throat) a potential boxing bout against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, not like it ever had a realist chance of happening. Still, Usman can no longer be calling for outlandish fights like that after the loss. On the bright side, “The Nigerian Nightmare” will get his immediate do-over — which will be a trilogy fight — given his dominance over the division over the last five years. That said, he will likely have to do it on Edwards’ home turf.
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