Leon Edwards will seek to avenge a loss to Kamaru Usman when the pair clash in the main event of UFC 278 this weekend, as the Briton also attempts to become Britain’s second ever UFC champion.
Usman (20-1) earned a decision victory over Edwards (19-3, 1 No Contest) in 2015 as part of an ongoing 19-fight win streak, which led the Nigerian-American to the welterweight title in 2019.
Usman, 35, has since retained the title in five straight bouts, with two wins against Colby Covington, two against Jorge Masvidal, and one against Gilbert Burns. As such, the “Nigerian Nightmare” has declared that he is “lapping” the opposition, a point that he would drive home with a second victory over Edwards.
Edwards, 30, has bounced back from his loss to Usman with nine wins in a row, most recently outpointing Nate Diaz in June 2021 after dominating the fan favourite for five rounds.
Here’s all you need to know about UFC 278.
When is it?
UFC 278 takes place at the Vivint Arena in Salk Lake City, Utah on Saturday 20 August.
The early prelims will start at 11pm BST (3pm PT, 5m CT, 6pm ET), with the prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 21 August (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday).
The main card then begins at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday).
How can I watch it?
The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights.
In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.
Odds
Usman – 2/7
Edwards – 13/5
Full card
Main card
Kamaru Usman (C) vs Leon Edwards 2 (welterweight title)
Paulo Costa vs Luke Rockhold (middleweight)
Jose Aldo vs Merab Dvalishvili (bantamweight)
Marcin Tybura vs Alexander Romanov (heavyweight)
Tyson Pedro vs Harry Hunsucker (light heavyweight)
Prelims
Leonardo Santos vs Jared Gordon (lightweight)
Wu Yanan vs Lucie Pudilova (women’s bantamweight)
Sean Woodson vs Luis Saldana (featherweight)
Early prelims
AJ Fletcher vs Ange Loosa (welterweight)
Amir Albazi vs Francisco Figueiredo (flyweight)
Aoriqileng vs Jay Perrin (bantamweight)
Daniel da Silva vs Victor Altamirano (flyweight)