Former champions Kamaru Usman and Jose Aldo lead the way with six-figure paydays in Utah.
UFC 278 payouts have been released by the overseeing commissioning body.
Wednesday, MMA Junkie received a list of disclosed earnings from Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission head Scott Bowler, which oversaw the Aug. 20 pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City.
Atop the list of payouts is former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag], who pocketed $500,000 for his head kick knockout loss to [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]. Edwards earned $350,000 with his upset victory.
Co-headliner winner [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] earned $130,000 for his win over [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag], who earned $200,000. Rockhold openly criticized fighter pay in the lead-up to the bout.
Former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] took home $400,000 for a loss to [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag], who earned $198,000.
Heavyweight [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] also pocketed $240,000 for his win over [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag] ($36,000) on the prelims.
Scroll below to see a full list of payouts. It’s important to note the figures only represent the disclosed pursues. Performance bonuses, locker room bonuses, and additional compliance bonuses are not included.
Georges St-Pierre says confidence will be the determining factor in whether Kamaru Usman can regain the UFC welterweight title.
PARIS – [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] says confidence will be the determining factor in whether [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] can regain the UFC welterweight title in his trilogy fight with Leon Edwards.
Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) had his title reign brought to a shocking and abrupt end nearly two weeks ago when he was knocked out by Edwards (19-3 MMA, 12-1 UFC) in the fifth round of the UFC 278 headliner. “The Nigerian Nightmare” was 54 seconds away from winning a unanimous decision on the scorecards for a record-tying 16th consecutive octagon victory, but was caught by a devastating head kick that brought it all crashing down.
It was a brilliant moment from Edwards, and one that’s raised questions about how Usman will rebound from being knocked out for the first time, and in such brutal fashion.
Former longtime divisional champion and UFC Hall of Famer St-Pierre agrees with that sentiment, and said Usman’s ability to get the title back will hinge on the mental side of his game.
“Kamaru was winning the fight, but he made a crucial mistake that is unforgettable at this level,” St-Pierre told fans and media during a Q&A on Friday in Paris. “He zigged when he should’ve zagged, and credit to Leon Edwards. He did a beautiful setup. It was amazing, and he won the world title. Now they’re going to have a rematch, hopefully, and we’ll see. Things change. You never fight the same fighter twice. You can fight the same name twice, but you never fight the same fighter twice. Every fight leaves a scar, for the best or for the worst.
“After a loss, very often we see fighters that a loss can affect their confidence. Confidence is very important for a fighter, because you can have all the skills in the world, but if you don’t have confidence it’s like someone that has a lot of money in his bank account, but no way of accessing it. So for the magic to happen, you need the skills and the confidence. So we’ll see how mentally strong Kamaru Usman is, and if he comes back and wins the title, I think it will add up to his legacy even more. But it’s going to be a hell of a fight, a hell of a challenge.”
In the aftermath of Edwards’ win, some of his critics have deemed the knockout “lucky” or a “fluke,” because he clearly was on the losing end of the contest before the knockout occurred.
St-Pierre doesn’t buy into that narrative, he said, and argued Edwards deserves credit for leading Usman into the strike that closed the show.
“He showcased, in the first round, incredible skills to put Kamaru Usman on his back, mount him, taking his back. He showcased incredible skills right there,” St-Pierre said. “He was losing the second, third and fourth round, and was on his way to losing the fifth round. But I think what makes Leon Edwards so good is his fighting IQ. He is also so good at neutralizing his opponent’s strength. He is very good at shutting down his opponent’s strength and bringing the fight where he is comfortable – to make his opponent fight outside of his comfort zone, and I think that’s why Leon Edwards is so good.”
St-Pierre said the title change at UFC 278 ultimately showed the wild, unpredictable and diverse nature of the fight game. St-Pierre has been in Usman’s shoes in suffering a stunning and traumatic upset loss, as he did against Matt Serra during his first UFC title reign in 2007.
How will Usman answer the call from defeat, though? St-Pierre is as intrigued as anyone else.
“That’s what makes the beauty of the sport, if you’re on the side of the winner, of course, because everything could happen,” St-Pierre said. “It would be boring if you would always know who would win. Like in any other sport, fighting, football – it’s no different. The best team doesn’t always win the game. It’s the team who plays the best the night of the game that will win. Fighting is the same. It’s not the best fighter that wins the fight. It’s the fighter that fights the best the night of the fight.”
Dana White disagrees with Chael Sonnen’s notion that Leon Edwards cheated against Kamaru Usman at UFC 278.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] disagrees with [autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag]’s notion that [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] cheated against [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] at UFC 278.
Sonnen accused Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) of repeatedly grabbing the cage when trying to fend off Usman’s (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) takedowns, which he thinks impacted the result of the fight.
“Leon cheated in that match a whole bunch of times,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “That is not a headline or a topic that is out there anywhere. … Leon was frustrated in positions and had no way out of positions to the extent that he cheated repeatedly. Not once – not an accident, not the ref didn’t see it. The ref saw it, the ref warned him, the ref saw it again, the ref stepped in, the ref broke the action five and six times.
“Kamaru Usman is very likely to smother you and change you when he is on top of you. He is most likely to finish a fight from that position particularly when he has you pinned up against the fence. Kamaru did three times. Leon changed the position and got out of that three times by cheating.”
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Edwards knocked out Usman with a stunning head kick with less than a minute remaining to capture the welterweight title, but White dismissed Sonnen’s theory that he cheated prior to the finish.
“He became champion with a head kick,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after Dana White’s Contender Series 52 on Tuesday. “He didn’t win by grabbing the fence. I mean, he got absolutely dominated in that whole fight except for that couple of minutes in the first round. He got absolutely dominated, and you know, that’s completely unfair of Chael Sonnen to say that. That kid sucked it up, dug down deep and landed literally the perfect head kick with like a minute left in the fight. So I would say that that’s silly, ridiculous and absolutely unfair to say about Leon.”
Edwards and Usman are expected to run things back in a trilogy bout. All three judges had Usman up three rounds to one before Edwards came from behind to land the knockout blow.
Islam Makhachev thinks Leon Edwards’ head-kick knockout to take the welterweight title from Kamaru Usman was a fluke at UFC 278.
[autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]’ knockout of [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] was a fluke.
Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) dethroned Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) with a stunning head-kick knockout in Round 5 at UFC 278. Edwards was losing three rounds to one heading into the final frame, but was able to finish Usman with less than a minute remaining in their fight.
But because Usman was able to take Edwards down repeatedly and control him throughout the fight, Makhachev (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) thinks “The Nigerian Nightmare” merely got caught. Based on the way the fight was going, Makhachev expects Usman to reclaim his belt with ease.
“Edwards (got) lucky because (Usman) beat him all five rounds, almost,” Makhachev told ESPN. “First round, (Edwards took) him down, take his back, but other rounds (Usman) beat him very easy, took him down many times and smashed him there. When they’re going to fight again in rematch, 100 percent I think Kamaru is going to beat him because Edwards have same problem, always with wrestling guys.”
A trilogy bout with Usman is expected to take place for Edwards’ first title defense. Usman recently told TMZ he didn’t want to coast and was looking to finish Edwards, which ultimately cost him.
Makhachev, an elite grappler himself, meets Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in the main event of UFC 280 on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi.
“I’m always pedal to the metal, and that’s the way that I fight and I wanted to finish.”
[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] says he had no intentions of coasting to a decision win against [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] at UFC 278.
Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) was in control heading into Round 5 of his title fight against Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC), but was caught with a perfect head kick that knocked him out cold with less than a minute remaining.
The former champion used his ever-improving hands to knock out the likes of Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal, but predominantly resorted to his wrestling against Edwards. Up three rounds to one and on his way to winning Round 5, Usman wasn’t about to play it safe, which ultimately cost him.
“No, that’s not who I am,” Usman told TMZ. “When I fight, I’m pedal to the metal and I don’t look at the clock. … I’m a go-er. I’m going. I’m non-stop. I’m going. I don’t look at the clock. So bing – I hear the bell. In my head, I still want to go, and the referee is like, ‘Hey, break, go to your corners,’ but I still want to go.
“So I never really look at the clock. I’m always pedal to the metal, and that’s the way that I fight and I wanted to finish. It was just a beautiful technique. I could’ve taken him down, but I really wanted to finish.”
Usman says he was aware of Edwards’ left high kick as a main weapon for the Brit, but just couldn’t see that final one coming.
“He threw head kicks throughout the fight. I blocked them all,” Usman said. “That one was just money. I’m almost in awe of how good it was. But it happens. Champions fall, then they get back and show you why they’re champions.”
Leon Edwards isn’t swerving from the obvious matchup for his first UFC welterweight title defense: a trilogy with Kamaru Usman.
[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] isn’t swerving from the obvious matchup for his first UFC welterweight title defense: a trilogy bout with [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag].
Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) is just more than a week removed from one of the most shocking championship victories in UFC history. After losing three of four rounds and with less than a minute remaining in the fifth, “Rocky” uncorked a perfect head kick that floored Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) for the knockout and led to the belt changing hands.
Although winning the belt gives Edwards a degree of power on input for what makes sense, he is offering no pushback regarding the most logical move. UFC president Dana White said he wants to do the trilogy in the U.K., and Usman has said he would be happy to oblige going overseas for the rubber match after he won the first fight with Edwards by unanimous decision in December 2015.
Edwards offers no arguments.
“I think Usman is deserving of the trilogy,” Edwards told “The Jim Rome Show” in the aftermath of UFC 278. “I would love to have it back in the U.K. Wembley would be good. The 02 would be good in London. I would love to give him the rematch, run it back, and let’s settle the score.”
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If Edwards chose to, he could make a fuss and be a diva about his next move. He’s said he would welcome a rematch with Nate Diaz if he can upset Khamzat Chimaev at next week at UFC 279, and also has made it very clear he has a beef to settle with Jorge Masvidal.
Ultimately, though, no alternative makes more sense than Usman, and there’s no one more deserving. Usman put together five title defenses and the second-longest winning streak in UFC history before a single kick brought it all to an end, and Edwards said he’s not the type to deprive his rival of a well deserved opportunity to regain gold.
“(Masvidal is) on my list, but I think right now Jorge is on a two, three-fight losing streak,” Edwards said. “He needs to go out there and get some wins and make the fight make sense. That’s a fight I think would be massive for the UFC and to get my revenge on him, I cannot wait.”
Paulo Costa suffered a serious hand injury in his UFC 278 victory over Luke Rockhold, requiring him to go under the knife.
[autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] suffered a serious hand injury in his UFC 278 victory over Luke Rockhold, requiring him to go under the knife.
Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) snapped a two-fight skid earlier this month when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Rockhold to send the former UFC and Strikeforce champion into retirement. The Brazilian won every round on all three scorecards, and afterward said he was keen to make a quick turnaround.
That won’t happen now, though. Costa learned of damage sustained to his right hand and revealed on his YouTube channel that he recently underwent surgery.
“I broke my hand in the fight,” Costa said. “I thought I had a bone injury or maybe ligaments, but what really happened was a fracture to the metacarpal bone. I hoped it wasn’t a fracture because then I would be able to come back to fighting again in 50 or 60 days and use all the conditioning and the whole camp I’ve done (for Rockhold).”
Although surgery for a metacarpal bone fracture is not uncommon, the operation likely rules out Costa’s hope to get another fight in this year to close out his UFC contract.
Despite saying repeatedly prior to UFC 278 that the fight with Rockhold was the last on his UFC deal, Costa has one more remaining with the organization before he can enter free agency.
UFC president Dana White has said he hopes to bring Costa back, but first he must get healthy and fight again.
Costa said there’s some optimism he could step back in the octagon at one of the UFC’s three events in December, but a more likely option for the Brazilian would be a fight on his home soil when UFC 283 lands in Rio de Janeiro on Jan. 21.
“I planned on fighting in 60 days, but it won’t be possible,” Costa said. “I’ll have to fight in December or January. We’ll have a UFC card in Rio, so maybe it happens there. It’s up to the UFC.”
“I have never wanted to see him fight more than I do right now. I want him to rescind his retirement.”
[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]’s stock never has been higher.
Rockhold (16-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) returned from a layoff of more than three years to face Paulo Costa at UFC 278. Although he lost a unanimous decision, it was a wildly entertaining battle in which Rockhold showed incredible heart and toughness, which won the fans over.
The former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion hung up his gloves in an emotional post-fight speech, but Sonnen wishes Rockhold would have continued fighting.
“I cannot get enough Luke Rockhold. I can’t,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I have never wanted to see him fight more than I do right now. I want him to rescind his retirement.
“(I’m) crazy about Luke right now. I think that you guys are, too. But Luke is now in a position where he’s unhappy with Dana White. … If Luke called the UFC today, they’d put him back in the USADA pool. They’ll book him a match. If Luke called Dana and said, ‘Hey, listen, could you give me a release? I started with Scott Coker and I’d like to go back over there,’ Dana would do it. Truly, out of respect to Luke.”
Rockhold was very outspoken in the lead-up to his fight with Costa about fighter pay. He also said after his fight with Costa that he never got his fair shake from the UFC and that he was written off by Dana White from the get go. But despite Rockhold’s heavy critique toward the UFC, White paid him respect for his valiant effort against Costa.
Rockhold, 37, exited the sport with three straight losses to Yoel Romero, ex-light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz and Costa. His last octagon win came in September 2017 when he finished David Branch by TKO.
Check out the super slow motion highlights from UFC 278, including clips of Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman.
[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] pulled of an incredible come-from-behind knockout to capture the welterweight title at UFC 278.
Down 3-1 heading into Round 5, Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) dethroned Kamaru Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) with a beautiful head-kick knockout with less than a minute remaining in their fight last Saturday at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
You can watch it all unfold in super-slow motion in the UFC 278 “Fight Motion” video highlights above.
Also featured are highlights of [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]’s big win over Jose Aldo, [autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]’s body kick finish of Harry Hunsucker, [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]’s quick submission of Francisco Figueiredo, [autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]’s bonus-winning TKO of Daniel Lacerda and more.
Daniel Cormier says Leon Edwards winning the UFC welterweight title was bad for Khamzat Chimaev.
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] says [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] winning the UFC welterweight title has delayed [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s title hopes.
So where does that leave Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC)? Cormier thinks he might now need one more win after Diaz for a shot at the title.
“I think last weekend he did not understand that he was the biggest loser in the Usman vs. Leon situation, because he was in line,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “All he had to do was get past Diaz. All he had to do, get past Diaz, you fight for the championship, but with Leon Edwards winning now, now we got a trilogy and rightfully so.
“That leads to the question: What is this fight for? I feel like for Diaz, this fight’s for legacy. I feel like for Chimaev, this is just another scalp on his resume, because I don’t know if this win necessarily puts him closer than he already is to a championship fight. And, because of the result last weekend, he’ll need one more. I just wonder who that one more is going to come against. If he beats Diaz, does he get Covington next?”
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White was interested in booking Chimaev against Covington after he beat Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 in April. Covington hasn’t competed since defeating former best friend-turned foe Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March, but White said the UFC is currently planning his next fight.
Covington was allegedly attacked by Masvidal outside a Miami Beach restaurant just weeks after beating him. According to the police report, Covington fractured a tooth and suffered a wrist abrasion. “Gamebred” was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and criminal mischief. His pre-trial hearing is slated for Aug. 31.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.
