Leon EdwardsvsKamaru Usman

The setup

UFC 278 in August 2022 was the welterweight title rematch between defending champion Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards. Usman was 19-1 with a five-defense title reign; Edwards was the British-Jamaican contender 19-3 with the most recent UFC win streak in the welterweight division.

The first meeting at UFC on Fox 17 (December 2015) was a non-title contender bout that Usman won by unanimous decision. Edwards's career arc from 2015 to 2022 — a 9-fight win streak after the Usman loss — had built him into the title-shot contender.

The fight

Rounds 1-4: Usman controlled the bout. The pattern:

• Round 1: Usman's wrestling pressure produced multiple takedowns and 3+ minutes of top control.
• Round 2: Edwards landed a knockdown via flying knee but couldn't follow up. Usman regained control.
• Round 3: Usman's wrestling continued. Edwards landed striking shots but couldn't get distance.
• Round 4: Usman's pace dropped but Edwards couldn't capitalize on the cardio reduction.

The cards going into round 5: 40-36 Usman, 39-37 Usman, 39-37 Usman — Edwards was losing on all three cards.

Round 5: At approximately 4:04 of round 5, Edwards landed a rear-leg high kick on Usman's temple. The kick connected flush; Usman was unconscious before he hit the canvas. Referee Herb Dean stopped the bout at 4:04 of round 5.

The technical signature

The Edwards rear-leg high kick was set up by:

• Earlier kick attempts in the round: Edwards had been working the kick throughout round 5 with two earlier setups that Usman absorbed.
• Stance switch: Edwards switched stances at the moment of the kick, loading the new rear leg.
• Counter timing: thrown off Usman's commitment to a level change setup.
• Flush connection: the temple impact at full velocity produced the immediate unconsciousness.

The KO was the third title-changing moment of its kind in UFC history (alongside Matt Serra over GSP at UFC 69 and Holly Holm over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193) — and the first since Holm's UFC 193 KO.

The aftermath

The result:

• Edwards became UFC welterweight champion: the first British UFC welterweight champion.
• Usman's reign ended: his five-defense reign was the most-defended modern welterweight reign before its end.
• The trilogy: UFC 286 (March 2023) was the immediate rematch; Edwards won by majority decision (48-46, 48-46, 47-47). Confirmed the Edwards-Usman matchup as Edwards-favorable.

Edwards continued as welterweight champion through:

• UFC 286 (March 2023): UD over Usman.
• UFC 296 (December 2023): UD over Colby Covington.
• UFC 304 (July 2024): UD loss to Belal Muhammad — the title-losing bout.

The post-UFC 278 Usman career arc included losses to Khamzat Chimaev (UFC 294, October 2023 short-notice middleweight bout) and Joaquin Buckley (UFC Fight Night 248, November 2024) — confirming the career-decline trajectory.

The historical significance

The UFC 278 head-kick KO is on the short list of greatest comebacks in UFC title-fight history. The structural lesson — that championship reigns can end in a single perfect strike with under a minute remaining — has shaped welterweight matchmaking and championship-level training emphasis.

The Edwards career arc from journeyman to British UFC champion — including the long Usman rivalry — is one of the most-decorated underdog narratives in modern MMA.