Leon Edwards News
Islam Makhachev believes Leon Edwards got “lucky” with head kick KO of Kamaru Usman
Harry Kettle - August 31, 2022
Islam Makhachev has given his thoughts on Leon Edwards‘ fantastic knockout win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. This October at UFC 280, Islam Makhachev will take part in the biggest fight of his career as he prepares to battle Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight championship. The contest is set to go down in Abu Dhabi and while Makhachev has been tipped to become a world champion for a long time, Oliveira will almost certainly serve as the toughest test he’s faced to date inside the Octagon.
Brendan Schaub encourages Leon Edwards to fight Jorge Masvidal next: "Get it done"
Josh Evanoff - August 30, 2022
Brendan Schaub believes UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards should face Jorge Masvidal next. ‘Rocky’ is fresh off his fight with Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 earlier this month. The bout was a rematch of their prior outing at UFC on Fox 17 in December 2015. In that outing, Usman scored a unanimous decision victory.
Kamaru Usman says he was attempting to finish Leon Edwards moments before head kick KO: “I didn’t land it, [who knows] how much damage it could’ve done”
Harry Kettle - August 30, 2022
Kamaru Usman has admitted that he was attempting to finish Leon Edwards in the fifth round of their title fight. Heading into the final round of the UFC 278 main event, Kamaru Usman seemed to be well on his way to successfully defending the UFC welterweight championship against Leon Edwards. He was 3-1 up on the judges’ scorecards, he was in full control, and Edwards appeared to be fading down the stretch.
Leon Edwards says Jorge Masvidal needs to “go out there and get some wins”, but admits the potential fight would be “massive”
Harry Kettle - August 30, 2022
Leon Edwards has said rival Jorge Masvidal needs to get back in the win column before the two share the Octagon. A few years back, Leon Edwards was the victim of a ‘three-piece and a sofa’ attack that came at the hands of Jorge Masvidal. Ever since that night, fans have been wondering if and when we’re going to see the pair face off inside the cage.
Stephen Thompson praises Leon Edwards for "perfect technique" to KO Kamaru Usman, but believes 'The Nigerian Nightmare' wins the trilogy
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2022
Stephen Thompson believes Leon Edwards landed the perfect technique to KO Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. Edwards entered the fifth round clearly losing the fight and did not get off to the best start in the final frame. It appeared that Usman would be defending his belt by decision but Edwards landed a clean head kick that KO’d Usman in the final minute which Thompson says was a great technique.
‘Anatomy of a Fighter’ video from UFC 278 shows backstage footage of Kamaru Usman immediately following his KO loss to Leon Edwards
Josh Evanoff - August 25, 2022
Footage of Kamaru Usman’s reaction following UFC 278 has been released. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ faced Leon Edwards as the headliner in Salt Lake City last Saturday night. The bout was a rematch of their previous encounter at UFC on Fox in December 2015. In that outing, Usman scored a unanimous decision victory.
Leon Edwards’ coach Dave Lovell responds to Jorge Masvidal’s call for a title shot: “Mr. Masvidal, you little rat Judas, your time will come also”
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2022
Leon Edwards’s coach Dave Lovell doesn’t think Jorge Masvidal is anywhere near a title shot. Edwards and Masvidal of course have a history due to the three-piece and a soda incident, and from previously being booked to fight at UFC 269 before ‘Gamebred’ was forced out with an injury. With that, after Edwards knocked out Kamaru Usman to become the UFC’s new welterweight champ, Masvidal was vocal in wanting to make the fight finally happen, despite being on a three-fight losing skid.
Daniel Cormier hits back at idea that Leon Edwards win over Kamaru Usman was a fluke: "It's not the first time he has knocked somebody out with this kick"
Josh Evanoff - August 24, 2022
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe Leon Edwards’s knockout against Kamaru Usman was a fluke. In the main event of UFC 278 last Saturday night in Salt Lake City, ‘Rocky’ faced ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’. The matchup was a rematch of their previous outing in 2015 on UFC on Fox 17. In their first matchup, Usman scored a unanimous decision victory.
Brendan Schaub credits Michael Bisping for setting groundwork for Leon Edwards's championship win: "He's the Rosa Parks of British fighters"
Josh Evanoff - August 23, 2022
Brendan Schaub believes UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has Michael Bisping to thank. ‘Rocky’ faced Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 last Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Utah. The bout was a rematch of their previous matchup in December 2015. In that outing, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ picked up the victory by unanimous decision.
Leon Edwards explains how his body shut down at UFC 278
Andrew Whitelaw - August 23, 2022
Leon Edwards made history at UFC 278 with a strong candidate for knockout of the year. His incredible headkick finish against Kamaru Usman late in the fifth round extended his winning streak to 10 fights and sealed his place in UFC history as only the second-ever British champion.
Kamaru Usman falls to #4 on the pound-for-pound rankings following KO loss at UFC 278
Harry Kettle - August 23, 2022
Kamaru Usman has fallen to #4 in the pound-for-pound rankings following his loss to Leon Edwards last weekend. At UFC 278 on Saturday night, Leon Edwards shocked the world when he knocked Kamaru Usman out to become the new UFC welterweight champion. Many fans and pundits believed he was down on the scorecards and was heading for a decision loss, only for ‘Rocky’ to pull a rabbit out of the hat by head-kicking ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ into the shadow realm.
Leon Edwards states he would be willing to give Nate Diaz a title shot if he defeats Khamzat Chimaev: "Imagine the scenes"
Josh Evanoff - August 22, 2022
UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has stated he’d be willing to rematch Nate Diaz. ‘Rocky’ faced the Stockton-native at UFC 263 last June. In that outing, Edwards scored the biggest win of his career by unanimous decision. However, the victory didn’t come easy, as the Brit was badly rocked in round five.
What's next for the stars of UFC 278?
Cole Shelton - August 22, 2022
The Octagon headed to Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday for a solid UFC 278 card, which saw the welterweight title on the line in the main event. In the main event, Kamaru Usman was looking to defend his belt and tie Anderson Silva’s record of starting out a UFC career 16-0 as he rematched Leon Edwards. In the co-main event, Paulo Costa took on Luke Rockhold while Merab Dvalishvili fought Jose Aldo on the main card.
Watch Israel Adesanya react to Leon Edwards knocking out Kamaru Usman at UFC 278: “I’m so happy for Leon and Tim, but then I’m so sad for Kamaru”
Susan Cox - August 22, 2022
Watch middleweight champion Israel Adesanya react to Leon Edwards knocking out Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. It was Usman (20-2 MMA) vs Edwards in the welterweight main event at UFC 278 which took place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The welterweight champion Usman was de-throned by Edwards via way of a knockout head kick in round 5 (see that here).
Joe Rogan dubs Leon Edwards head kick KO of Kamaru Usman as the greatest in the history of the sport: “Nothing compares”
Harry Kettle - August 22, 2022
Joe Rogan has dubbed Leon Edwards’ knockout over Kamaru Usman one of the best head kick KOs in mixed martial arts history. It’s been said many times already but it deserves to be said again – on Saturday night in Utah, Leon Edwards pulled off one of the craziest comebacks in UFC history.
Watch Henry Cejudo and Ali Abdelaziz’s live reactions to Leon Edwards head kick KO of Kamaru Usman (Video)
Harry Kettle - August 22, 2022
Henry Cejudo and Ali Abdelaziz’s reaction to Kamaru Usman‘s knockout loss at UFC 278 has been released. At UFC 278 on Saturday night, Kamaru Usman’s fantastic reign as UFC welterweight champion came to an end when he was knocked out cold by Leon Edwards. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ appeared to be less than a minute away from successfully defending his title for the sixth time, only for ‘Rocky’ to spring a huge surprise by landing a nasty head kick that sent Usman to the shadow realm.
Video | Colby Covington reacts to Leon Edwards' nasty knockout of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278
Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 21, 2022
Colby Covington was just as stunned by Leon Edwards‘ win over Kamaru Usman as you’d imagine. Edwards walked into Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah as the underdog for his UFC Welterweight Championship fight against Usman. In the opening frame of the UFC 278 main event, it appeared as if “Rocky” was ready to prove his doubters wrong.
Kamaru Usman issues statement following knockout loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278
Christopher Taylor - August 20, 2022
Kamaru Usman endured his first setback in over 9 years in the headliner of tonight’s UFC 278 event, suffering a brutal KO loss to Leon Edwards. Usman (20-2 MMA) and Edwards (20-3 MMA) collided for the promotions welterweight title this evening in Salt Lake City. The pair had previously met back in December of 2015, with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare‘ earning a unanimous decision victory.