Leon Edwards’ muay Thai coach Henry Cleminson rejects the notion the head-kick knockout of Kamaru Usman that forced the welterweight title to change hands at UFC 278 wasn’t lucky, nor was it a fluke. However, he does admit it’s probably something that couldn’t be repeated.
Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) pulled off one of the most improbable finishes in UFC history this past Saturday when he finished Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC) in the fifth round of their headlining bout in Salt Lake City. “Rocky” was down by a sizable margin on all scorecards as the fight was less than one minute from being decided by the judges, but then he took control of the situation and decided his own fate with the perfect kick.
Cleminson, who has been working with Edwards as a striking coach since just prior to his victory over Donald Cerrone in June 2018, said the head kick that put Usman to sleep was something that the team strategized and trained consistently through camp.
