UFC 278 results, highlights: Leon Edwards stuns Kamaru Usman with late head-kick KO for welterweight belt

Kamaru Usman was less than a minute from history when Leon Edwards created history of his own Saturday in the main event of UFC 278 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Edwards caught Usman with a left kick to the head with 56 seconds remaining in a fight Usman was about to win. Usman went down instantly and Edwards won the UFC welterweight title in stunning fashion. He never bothered to follow Usman to the ground. He raised his arms in the air and began the celebration.

It was arguably the greatest, most spectacular finish in UFC history. The finish came at 4:04 of the fifth.

It denied Usman the opportunity to tie Anderson Silva’s UFC record of 16 consecutive wins and made Edwards the first Jamaican-born champion in UFC history.

“All the doubters said I couldn’t do it,” Edwards said in jubilation. “You all said I couldn’t do it. Well, look at me now. Look at me now!”

Edwards started and finished strongly. He took Usman down in the first, the first time in Usman’s UFC career he’d been taken down. Edwards then took Usman’s back and worked to put in the rear naked choke. Usman survived it, but Edwards had the momentum.

But Usman showed his class. He dominated Rounds 2, 3 and 4 and was in control of Round 5. After the fourth round, one of Edwards’ cornermen shouted at him, “Come on, man! What’s f***ing wrong with you?”

Nothing, as it turned out, even though Usman was in control of the fifth.

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Edwards began the winning sequence with a jab. It may have temporarily blinded Usman and Usman moved to his right. But before the jab even landed, Edwards had the kick on the way.

“This is my moment,” Edwards said. “What happened in the past, the two years out, the pandemic, none of it matters now. I’m champion of the world. Champion of the world.”

It ended Usman’s 15-fight UFC winning streak and his 19-fight overall winning streak.