UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Daniel Cornmeat
- 6 hours ago
- 9 min read
Introduction
UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2 took place on Saturday, August 20, 2022 at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the night Leon Edwards produced one of the most dramatic finishes in UFC history, dethroning Kamaru Usman with a head kick KO at 4:04 of round five after losing 19 of the first 20 minutes of the fight. The card produced an estimated 500,000 pay-per-view buys.
Kamaru Usman entered the fight as the dominant UFC welterweight champion with five consecutive title defenses dating to his title win at UFC 235 in March 2019. He had defeated Edwards eight years earlier at UFC FN in December 2015 by unanimous decision and was a -340 favourite for the rematch. Edwards had a 10-fight unbeaten run (9-0-1) and the longest active win streak in the welterweight division — but no signature win to validate his title shot.
The fight followed the expected pattern for four rounds. Usman controlled the cage with his wrestling, scored takedowns in rounds two, three, and four, and was ahead 39-37, 39-37, 39-37 on all three scorecards entering the final round. Edwards needed a finish. With 56 seconds left in round five, he landed a left high kick that caught Usman flush on the temple. The champion fell unconscious before hitting the canvas. Leon Edwards was the UFC welterweight champion.
The co-main saw Paulo Costa edge Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a three-round bloodbath. Rockhold — the former UFC middleweight champion — announced his retirement from MMA in the cage immediately after the result. It was his final UFC bout after seven and a half years in the promotion.
Contents
• FAQ
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, August 20, 2022
📍 Venue: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
👥 Attendance: 16,576 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $3.2 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~500,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Kamaru Usman (c) vs. Leon Edwards — UFC Welterweight Championship (170 lbs)
✅ Result: Edwards def. Usman via KO (head kick) — R5, 4:04
🥇 Co-Main: Paulo Costa def. Luke Rockhold via Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Middleweight
The Build-Up
Kamaru Usman entered UFC 278 as one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. He had defended the welterweight title five consecutive times — against Colby Covington at UFC 245, Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251, Gilbert Burns at UFC 258, Masvidal again at UFC 261, and Covington again at UFC 268. He was 19-1 in MMA, 14-0 in the UFC, and ranked the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Leon Edwards had quietly built one of the most underrated resumes in MMA. He was 19-3 with a 10-fight unbeaten run (9-0-1) including wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Donald Cerrone, and Nate Diaz. He had not lost since his UFC FN loss to Usman in December 2015 — a fight he had taken on short notice as the underdog. The rematch had been delayed for years by COVID-19 cancellations, Edwards's visa issues, and Usman's deep contender queue. By August 2022, Edwards was a +280 underdog despite the unbeaten streak.
The co-main was Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold. Costa had not fought since his UD loss to Marvin Vettori at UFC FN in October 2021. Rockhold had not fought since his TKO loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC FN in July 2019 — a three-year layoff. The build framed it as a battle of fading veterans; both were still ranked top-ten middleweights.
Main Event: Usman vs. Edwards 2
Round one was Edwards's. The challenger landed a clean overhand left in the opening 30 seconds and scored a takedown at 2:30 — the first time in his championship reign that Usman had been taken down. Edwards finished the round on top with sustained ground work. The judges had it 10-9 Edwards.
Rounds two, three, and four were Usman's. The champion's wrestling pressure was relentless — he scored takedowns in each round, controlled top position for the majority of every round, and landed sustained ground-and-pound. Edwards's striking output dropped each round; by the end of round four, he had absorbed 47 significant strikes to his 31. The judges had it 39-37, 39-37, 39-37 Usman.
Round five was a championship-formality. Usman needed only to survive five more minutes against an opponent he had outpointed for 15. Edwards needed a finish. The first four minutes followed the same pattern — Usman's wrestling pressure, Edwards's striking from the outside, no clear opening for the challenger.
At 4:04 of round five — with 56 seconds left on the clock — Edwards faked a jab, stepped to the outside, and threw a left high kick. Usman, who had been crouching to defend the expected takedown threat, raised his hands a fraction of a second too late. The shin caught him flush on the right temple. He fell forward unconscious; one follow-up strike from Edwards bounced off his prone body before referee Herb Dean dove in to stop the fight. Leon Edwards was the UFC welterweight champion.
Edwards screamed "Don't ever doubt me" into the broadcast camera as his cornermen flooded the cage. The Vivint Arena erupted. In his post-fight interview, Edwards reflected on the eight-year arc: "Eight years I worked for this. Eight years they told me I'd never make it. Look at me now."
The Usman-Edwards series leveled to 1-1. They would fight a third time at UFC 286 in March 2023 — a majority-decision win for Edwards that confirmed his championship reign and made the final ledger 2-1 Edwards.
Co-Main Event: Costa vs. Rockhold
Three rounds of striking-heavy violence. Paulo Costa pressed forward through every round, landed sustained body shots and combinations, and used his cardio advantage to wear Luke Rockhold down. Rockhold landed clean counter strikes in round two that wobbled Costa but could not capitalize; his cardio failed by the midpoint of round three. Final scorecards: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 Costa.
In the cage, Rockhold announced his retirement from MMA on the broadcast microphone: "This is my last fight. I'm done." The former UFC middleweight champion (2015-2016) had gone 1-3 in his final four UFC bouts including KO losses to Yoel Romero, Jan Blachowicz, and now the UD loss to Costa. He retired with a 16-6 career record and the 2015 UFC middleweight title to his name.
Costa would lose his next bout (UD loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC FN in February 2023) and would go 1-3 in his subsequent UFC bouts. He has remained a top-ten middleweight contender into the mid-2020s without another UFC title shot.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Leon Edwards def. Kamaru Usman (c) — KO (head kick) — R5, 4:04 — Welterweight Title
Paulo Costa def. Luke Rockhold — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Middleweight
Merab Dvalishvili def. Jose Aldo — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) — Bantamweight
Alexander Romanov def. Marcin Tybura — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Heavyweight
Tyson Pedro def. Harry Hunsucker — KO (punches) — R1, 1:06 — Light Heavyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Lucie Pudilova def. Yanan Wu — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Women's Bantamweight
Sean Woodson def. Luis Saldana — Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Featherweight
Jared Gordon def. Leonardo Santos — TKO (punches) — R2, 4:50 — Lightweight
Amir Albazi def. Francisco Figueiredo — Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) — Flyweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Leon Edwards — $50,000 for the fifth-round head-kick KO of Kamaru Usman — widely identified as the 2022 UFC Knockout of the Year and one of the most dramatic finishes in UFC history.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Tyson Pedro — $50,000 for the first-round KO of Harry Hunsucker.
🥊 Fight of the Night: Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold — $50,000 each. Three rounds of striking-heavy violence in Rockhold's retirement fight.
Records & Milestones
• Leon Edwards became the second British-born undisputed UFC champion in promotion history (after Michael Bisping).
• The fifth-round head-kick KO with 56 seconds left — widely identified as the 2022 UFC Knockout of the Year and one of the most dramatic championship reversals in UFC history.
• Kamaru Usman's first UFC loss — ended a 15-fight UFC win streak and a five-defense championship reign.
• Luke Rockhold's in-cage retirement — the former UFC middleweight champion (2015-2016) left MMA on his own terms after a 16-6 career.
• Merab Dvalishvili's UD win over Jose Aldo — the Georgian's seventh consecutive UFC win, on his eventual path to the bantamweight title in 2024.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 278 is remembered as the night Leon Edwards produced one of the most dramatic championship finishes in UFC history. The head-kick KO with 56 seconds left in round five — from a position of being down on every scorecard — has been widely identified as the 2022 UFC Knockout of the Year and one of the three or four most-replayed UFC finishes of the modern era.
For Leon Edwards, the win was the validation of a 10-fight unbeaten run that had been quietly building since 2016. He became the second British-born undisputed UFC champion in promotion history (after Michael Bisping) and the first British-born welterweight champion. He defended the title against Usman at UFC 286 in March 2023 (majority decision), Colby Covington at UFC 296 in December 2023 (UD), then lost the title to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in July 2024 by unanimous decision.
For Kamaru Usman, UFC 278 was the formal close of his championship reign. He had been a -340 favourite and was widely seen as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world entering the fight. The head-kick KO ended his 15-fight UFC win streak. He lost the immediate rematch to Edwards at UFC 286 (majority decision), then went on hiatus before returning in October 2023 against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 (UD loss on short notice at middleweight). He has remained one of the most decorated welterweight champions of the modern era.
For Luke Rockhold, UFC 278 was the formal close of his MMA career. He retired in the cage with a 16-6 career record, the 2015 UFC middleweight championship reign, and one of the most respected technical games of his era. He has remained involved in MMA media and analysis since.
FAQ
How dominant was Usman before the head kick?
Total. Usman was ahead 39-37, 39-37, 39-37 on all three scorecards after four rounds — meaning he had won three of the four scored rounds (he had lost round one). He had scored takedowns in rounds two, three, and four. He had landed 47 significant strikes to Edwards's 31 across four rounds. He needed only to survive five more minutes to retain the title; Edwards needed a finish. The level of the head-kick comeback — from such a position with under a minute on the clock — has very few comparable examples in modern UFC history.
What was the head-kick setup?
A jab feint plus a switch step to the outside. Edwards — a southpaw — faked the lead jab to make Usman's head dip to defend a clinch entry, then stepped to the outside of Usman's lead foot and fired the left high kick. Usman, who had been crouching to brace for the takedown defense, raised his hands a fraction of a second too late. The shin caught him flush on the temple. He fell unconscious before hitting the canvas. The execution — a southpaw high kick off a deceptive setup, in the final minute of a fight he had been losing 19 of the first 20 minutes — has been studied as one of the cleanest setups in championship-level MMA striking.
Did Usman and Edwards fight a third time?
Yes. The trilogy bout came at UFC 286 in March 2023 in London — a majority-decision win for Edwards (48-47, 48-47, 47-47) that confirmed his championship reign. Final ledger: 2-1 Edwards. Usman did not get another shot at the title.
Did Edwards keep the title?
Until UFC 304. Edwards defended the title against Usman at UFC 286 (majority decision, March 2023) and Colby Covington at UFC 296 (UD, December 2023) before losing it to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester in July 2024 by unanimous decision. His championship reign lasted approximately 23 months.
Did Rockhold ever come out of retirement?
Yes. Rockhold returned to fight Mike Perry at BKFC in April 2024 — a bare-knuckle boxing bout that Perry won by TKO. He has not returned to MMA. The BKFC bout was widely seen as a one-off appearance rather than a comeback; his MMA retirement from UFC 278 remains the formal close of his MMA career.
How does UFC 278 compare to UFC 277?
UFC 278 drew approximately 500,000 PPV buys versus UFC 277 (550,000) three weeks earlier. The slight drop reflected the relatively unknown Salt Lake City market and Edwards's underdog status. The card massively over-performed in cultural impact: the head-kick KO became one of the most-replayed UFC moments of the year and the gif that defined 2022 UFC.
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