Leon Edwards became Britain’s second ever UFC champion after he defeated Nigerian Kamaru Usman at the UFC 278 main event at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, USA on Sunday morning.
Seven years ago, Usman outpointed Edwards as part of what became a 19-fight win streak for the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’, earning him the title of UFC’s pound-for-pound king.
Edwards also came into this on an undefeated streak, winning nine bouts in a row, while patiently waiting for his first title shot.
The Jamaica-born Briton, however, avenged his loss to Usman in 2015, leaving Utah as welterweight champion after landing a vicious kick that sent Usman sprawling to the canvas with just seconds left of their five-bout clash.
The fight started with both fighters throwing caution to the wind and a confident Usman landing solid blows on Edwards’ face and sides. The Brit countered and locked Usman down getting his own clean hits in.
In the subsequent rounds, Usman kept his feet on the ground as an ankle injury hampered his movement, but he was still able to land some solid punches on Edwards.
