Tag: UFC 278

UFC 278: Luke Rockhold smearing his blood on Paulo Costa’s face was so nasty

This was absolutely wild. And really gross!

UFC 278 was an amazing night of fight in Salt Lake City, Utah, which ended with Leon Edwards knocking out Kamaru Usman with an incredible head kick to win the welterweight belt.

There was also a really wild moment in one of the most anticipated fights on the card when Luke Rockhold was seen purposely smearing his blood onto Paulo Costa’s face during the final seconds of the third and final round of their fight.

Moments later Costa was named the winner via unanimous decision by the judges in what was likely Rockhold’s final fight of his career.

Check out this gross moment:

That’s a lot of blood! And I’m sorry if that just ruined your Sunday.

Twitter had reactions.

Dana White interested in Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 at Wembley but ‘scared to go outside’

Dana White wants a Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman trilogy fight in England, it’s just a matter of determining a venue.

SALT LAKE CITY – UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] expects to book a trilogy fight between [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] next, it’s just a matter of determining the logistics.

After Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) claimed the welterweight title from Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) with a stunning head kick knockout in the fifth round of Saturday’s UFC 278 headliner at Vivint Arena, a whole new world of opportunity has opened up for the promotion in England.

The UFC has never hosted a stadium event on Edwards’ home soil, but White admits there’s some serious temptation to host the rubber match at Wembley Stadium in London, which has a capacity of roughly 90,000. Historically, however, White has been very resistant to open-air venues, and that hasn’t necessarily changed.

“How do you not do – f*ck, Wembley,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at the UFC 278 post-fight news conference. “I don’t know. Yeah (I want to do it in England). … We could go to England whenever the hell we want to now. We could go to England – we were selling out England before. Now you look at, do you do a bigger arena? I’m scared to go outside, and I’m definitely scared to go outside in England. I’m serious, but joking about England. Anything is possible in England now. It would be fun, but it’s scary at the same time. The weather isn’t the greatest in England.”

Fortunately for White, the promotion will have some time to figure out the best path forward. Usman is likely to be dealt a sizable medical suspension after such a violent knockout, and with the UFC calendar already booked up into the first month of 2023, White said there isn’t necessarily a rush to pin something down.

“I don’t think (Edwards) would have to sit and wait anyway due to the knockout,” White said. “I don’t think he would have to wait that long. He would have to go back into camp and start training anyway. First of all, we’d have to have the date. We’re all booked up all the way to – I think we’re booked up into January now. There will be no waiting for him, even if it’s a rematch.”

White said Edwards’ title-winning knockout was another reflection of the crazy, unpredictable nature of MMA. He thought Usman was well on his way to recording yet another title defense, but in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

“You think of everything that was on the line for Usman tonight, and Usman fought with absolute and total confidence all night,” White said. “He fought the perfect fight. Might not be the most fan-friendly style, but he was landing big shots to the body, big shots to the head, elbows. Couldn’t have fought a more perfect fight until the last minute.

“It’s how crazy the sport is. It’s what makes this sport the greatest sport in the world. That you can sit through four rounds and four minutes and that can happen in a fight. Anything is possible in this sport. Every time we make a fight and it’s like, ‘This is a lopsided, one-sided f*cking – there are no lopsided, one-sided fights in this sport. Anything is possible. I said it to you guys this week, the problem with this fight is people won’t give Leon enough credit and he’s a very dangerous opponent. Wow.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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Leon Edwards: Title-winning KO of Kamaru Usman ‘one of my worst performances,’ ready for trilogy

Leon Edwards managed to unseat the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport at UFC 278 despite feeling like he was having an off night.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] managed to unseat the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport at UFC 278 despite feeling like he was having an off night.

Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) claimed the welterweight championship from Kamaru Usman on Saturday with a shocking, come-from-behind head kick knockout in the fifth round of their headlining bout at Vivint Arena.

After starting the fight strong and winning the opening round, Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) picked up the pace and managed to take the middle three rounds on the scorecards. He was doing well in the final frame too, until just 56 seconds remaining in the fight when Edwards unleashed the perfect blow that forced the belt to change hands.

“Going into it, I knew it was going to be a tough fight,” Edwards told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC 278 post-fight news conference. “I said it all week. But I believe I was the better man – but even though it was one my worst performances, it is what it is, I got a clean finish. … My body just wasn’t reacting the way it was meant to react. I don’t know if it was the altitude or not, but when I was backstage watching the other guys fight on TV, everyone was getting tired and gassing out. I was like, ‘Why is everyone getting tired?’ When I went out there after the first round I felt it. My body just wasn’t reacting.

“It wasn’t a cardio issue, it was just like my body wasn’t reacting. But I stayed focused, my coaches spurred me on and kept reminding me, ‘You’re still in the fight, you are the best, and fight until the end.’ That combination I was drilling with my coaches, that left-cross head kick, and it landed perfectly.”

After losing a unanimous decision to Usman at UFC on FOX 17 in December 2015, Edwards said prior to UFC 278 that he expected to even the score with his rival to set up a trilogy fight.

After scoring a clean knockout, Edwards’ stance on the situation hasn’t changed. Usman, who came into the fight with the second-longest winning streak in UFC history and five consecutive title defenses, has a strong claim for an immediate trilogy bout.

Edwards said he would like that fight to happen in his native England, and after being unhappy with his body of work at UFC 278, thinks he can deliver a more complete effort.

It’s been a long journey for “Rocky” to reach the top of the mountain, and after seeing Usman fall in the manner he did, said he’s not going to take his moment of glory for granted.

“I knew going into it that more than likely we were going to have a rematch down the line,” Edwards said. “Whether it’s next or down the line, we’re going to have a rematch. He’s been a long champion, they’re saying he’s the pound-for-pound best all week. He was saying that he was the pound-for-pound best. He believed it, and as I said in the octagon, the belt doesn’t belong to nobody. It doesn’t belong to me or nobody. No man is meant to hold the belt for that long, and I said it all week that I felt like this was my moment. This is how it was meant to play out. All the layoff, all the COVID, that’s how it was meant to play out.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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Video: Leon Edwards lets the happy tears flow on backstage phone call with mom after UFC 278 shocker

Leon Edwards largely was overcome with emotion after his come-from-behind knockout for the ages at UFC 278.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] largely was overcome with emotion after his come-from-behind knockout for the ages at UFC 278.

Down 3-1 on the scorecards and less than a minute away from a decision loss to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC), Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) pulled off a stunner with a head-kick knockout to win the title in a major upset.

Edwards had a good first round against the champ, but then Usman had things on virtual cruise control for the next 19 minutes, right until Edwards landed his kick to shock the MMA world with just 56 seconds left in their fight in Salt Lake City.

The happy tears kept flowing for the Jamaica-born Edwards backstage at Vivint Arena when he got on the phone with his mom in England, where he has lived since he was 9.

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It’s nearly impossible to make out what his mom was saying to her new champion son on the other end of the phone, but it’s reasonable to say she was out of her mind with excitement while Edwards continued to let out the emotions of his long road to UFC champion status.

Check out the behind-the-scenes video from the UFC below. If you can’t muster at least a happy smile for Edwards, who overcame a rough start to life and bad teenage decisions to thrive in MMA, then it’s safe to say you have no heart.

Edwards, who turns 31 later this week, almost certainly will have as his first title defense a rematch with Usman, which will be their third fight. Usman won the first meeting in 2015 in his first bout after winning “The Ultimate Fighter.” He was on his way to 2-0 against Edwards in the rematch until “Rocky” extended his winning streak to 10 and snapped Usman’s at 19.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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UFC 278 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Luke Rockhold nets $11,000 in farewell fight

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 278 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $226,000.

SALT LAKE CITY – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 278 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $226,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 278 took place at Vivint Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 278 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili [/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Wu Yanan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Harry Hunsucker[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Alexandr Romanov[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $4,500
vs. [autotag]Luis Saldana[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]A.J. Fletcher[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Francisco Figueiredo[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jay Perrin[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Victor Altamirano[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Daniel da Silva[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,814,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $11,981,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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Kamaru Usman vows to ‘bounce back and come with vengeance’ following UFC 278 knockout

The former UFC welterweight champ is already planning his comeback.

The former UFC welterweight king [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] already has his sights set on a major return to glory.

In the main event of UFC 278, Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) was knocked out cold by Leon Edwards with just under a minute remaining in the final round of their rematch with the welterweight title on the line.

Usman was winning the fight handily, up 39-37 on all three judges’ scorecards. However, Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) landed the shot he needed out of nowhere, putting Usman down without any follow-up shots needed.

The former champ did not talk with UFC commentator Joe Rogan inside the octagon for a post-fight interview, and was transported to the hospital for precautionary reasons after the knockout.

Shortly after the event, Usman issued a short message on social media after the fight.

“Champs f*ck up sometimes… but we bounce back and come with vengeance!!” Usman wrote on Twitter.

Usman later added a second message, congratulating Edwards on his crowning achievement.

“Damn I love this sport!!! Things happen but… Alhamdulillah we move!! Congratulations @Leon_edwardsmma,” Usman wrote.

The loss marked the first for Usman since his second professional fight in 2013. “The Nigerian Nightmare” ripped through his next 19 opponents, racking up a dominant UFC welterweight title reign that included five title defenses.

After the fight, UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] said a trilogy between Usman and Edwards is on the horizon. Usman won the first meeting in 2015 by unanimous decision. In the rematch 80 months in the makings, Edwards pulled off a miraculous knockout victory to claim the title.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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Joe Rogan: Leon Edwards’ UFC 278 knockout of Kamaru Usman was best head-kick KO in history

Leon Edwards’ finish of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 came out of nowhere, and analyst Joe Rogan thinks it was the best head kick in history.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag]’ finish of [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] came out of nowhere.

And because of the circumstances around Edwards’ (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) finish of Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) late in the fifth round in the UFC 278 main event, longtime UFC analyst [autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] said it was the best head-kick knockout in UFC history.

“That was one of the most spectacular head-kick knockouts in the history of the sport — considering the stakes, considering the consequences,” Rogan said afterward on the pay-per-view broadcast. “I mean, it’s flawless – flawless technique. … The way he set it up with that left, Kamaru leaned to the right – perfect head kick, out cold.

“Nothing compares. It’s the greatest head-kick knockout in the history of the sport – with the most consequences, the most at stake, the most doubt, the most people counting him out, including us.”

That’s saying something, considering in 2015, Holly Holm landed a head kick on Ronda Rousey to win the women’s bantamweight title in what at the time was considered the biggest upset in UFC history.

Usman lost the welterweight belt to Edwards in Salt Lake City, and it happened with him on his way to a relatively easy decision win. Edwards won the first round, but Usman took over in the second, third and fourth, and was cruising in the fifth, too – until Edwards landed a left kick and put Usman out cold. Usman was close to a 4-1 betting favorite in their fight, which was a rematch of a fight Usman won in 2015.

Rogan and his fellow broadcasters, Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier, already had written Edwards off in the fight. Cormier said multiple times after the knockout that the broadcast team already had written Edwards’ eulogy.

“It was like a movie,” Rogan said. “We were counting him out. We were thinking he was going to lose a decision. Kamaru Usman was dominating. He was controlling the rounds.”

Usman came into the fight with the second most consecutive wins in UFC history with 15 and was chasing Anderson Silva’s record of 16. He defended the welterweight title five times and looked like he was on the way to No. 6.

Coincidentally, Usman holds the record for the latest finish in UFC welterweight history when he stopped Colby Covington at the 4:10 mark of the fifth round at UFC 245. Edwards came close to eclipsing that record against Usman with a finish at the 4:04 mark.

Anik, on the ESPN+ post fight show, said he thinks Edwards’ win was the single greatest victory in UFC history when all the accolades for Usman are factored in.

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UFC 278 bonuses: Leon Edwards, no duh – but $50,000 for Luke Rockhold, too, after complaints about bonus amounts

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to its new welterweight champion.

The UFC handed out four post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to its new welterweight champion.

After UFC 278, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Salt Lake City. Check out the winners below.

UFC 278 results: Leon Edwards pulls off stunner, knocks Kamaru Usman out cold with last-minute head kick

Just when it looked like the writing was on the wall, Leon Edwards shocked the world and did the seemingly unthinkable.

Just when it looked like the writing was on the wall, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] shocked the world and did the seemingly unthinkable.

In the UFC 278 main event Saturday at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Edwards (20-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) knocked then-reigning welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) unconscious with a hail Mary head kick at 4:04 of Round 5.

The knockout blow came after nearly four rounds of relative domination by the champion Usman, who stifled Edwards with strong cardio, grappling, and control. Edwards looked noticeably frustrated at times, but ultimately scored the result he wanted in all-time fashion.

A left high kick blocked out of the line-of-sight of Usman by a left jab, slipped up and cranked the champion, who folded in lawn-chair fashion as he gazed blankly at the ceiling lights.

“You all doubted me that I couldn’t do it,” Edwards said in the cage after the fight. “Look at me now. Look at it: pound-for-pound, headshot, dead. That’s it.”

Edwards started UFC 278 strong (though not as strong as he finished it). In Round 1, he became the first man to take down Usman. He mounted and took the back, but wasn’t able to muster up much offense. Usman had largely dominated all facets of Round 2, 3, 4, and the portion of 5 before the knockout blow. In MMA, it only takes one, however, and Edwards is now the UFC welterweight king.

Usman was considered by many, including UFC president Dana White, as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in MMA prior to UFC 278. Usman’s first title reign ends with five defenses, also including wins over Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, and Gilbert Burns. His winning streak was snapped at 18.

Since December 2015, Edwards has not lost. In the nearly seven years since, Edwards has gone 10-0 with one no contest. Other wins included Nate Diaz, Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone.

The December 2015 loss came against none other than Usman. The two met at UFC on FOX 17 in Orlando. It was Usman’s second UFC bout and Edwards’ fourth. Usman defeated Edwards via unanimous decision.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 278 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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Twitter reacts to Leon Edwards’ insane head-kick KO of Kamaru Usman to win title at UFC 278

See the top Twitter reactions to Kamaru Usman’s historic title defense vs. Leon Edwards in the UFC 278 main event.

[autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] stopped [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] from making history on Saturday when he claimed the welterweight title in the UFC 278 main event.

Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) prevented Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) from tying Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive octagon victories when he earned a fifth-round knockout victory to win the 170-pound belt in the headlining bout at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

After suffering a unanimous decision loss to Usman at UFC on FOX 17 in December 2015, Edwards got his revenge in the rematch and became the second British titleholder in UFC history, joining Michael Bisping.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Edwards’ title win over Usman at UFC 278.

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