UFC 278: Leon Edwards head kick KOs Kamaru Usman in final minute to snatch welterweight title in seismic shock
- England’s ‘Rocky’ lives up to his moniker with a fairy tale finish against the previously dominant pound-for-pound No 1
- ‘Look at me now. I’ve from the trenches. I’ve been doubted my whole life. I told you I could do it,’ Edwards says
Leon “Rocky” Edwards lived up to his famous moniker by shocking the MMA world with a stunning head kick knockout of Kamaru Usman in the final minute of Saturday night’s UFC 278 main event in Salt Lake City.
With the fight heading to a dominant unanimous decision for Usman, who bounced back from losing the first round to almost complete nullify Edwards for the next 19 minutes, the Englishman sent Utah’s Vivint Arena into meltdown mode with an incredible right-hand feint and a swing of his left leg.
Usman folded to the mat, and Edwards threw his arms up straight away. Referee Herb Dean need not have even rushed in.
“Look at me now,” Edwards (20-3) repeatedly screamed into the camera lens after UFC president Dana White wrapped the welterweight title around his waist.
The 30-year-old later broke into tears backstage as spoke on a video call to his parents. “I told you, mum,” he said, in moving scenes that were shown on the pay-per-view broadcast.