UFC 278 Preview | Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards 2

The MMA leader will return to Salt Lake City for the first time in six years for UFC 278. At the head of the card, defending welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Kamaru Usman faces his hardest challenge to date. He will rematch English sharpshooter Leon Edwards, who looks to become Britain’s second UFC champ whilst exacting revenge on his old foe.

Let’s take a closer look at this card!

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(c) Kamaru Usman (20-1) vs (#2) Leon Edwards (19-3, 1 NC) – UFC welterweight championship bout

England’s best hope for another UFC title will have to go through one of the greatest welterweights of all time if he hopes to return to Birmingham as champion.

Once only thought of as a pillow-handed wrestler with potential to break the top ten, Kamaru Usman has superceded expectations by becoming the UFC’s pound-for-pound number one. The thumping KO power, improving striking, never-ending cardio and granite chin, added with his world-class wrestling, have singled Usman out as the best welterweight on planet Earth. Coming into UFC 278, the champ has five title defenses already under his belt and is entering the territory of being considered the best 170lb of all time. If he can replicate the performance he put on against Edwards the first time, it would appear that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ will haunt the division for as long as he sees fit.

The long and winding road to a title shot is finally coming to an end for Leon Edwards. A run of seven years undefeated – his only blemish being a no contest against Belal Muhammad – has earned the Brit his chance at a championship. Edwards brings a style that could cause major problems for Usman. The dangerous kicks and sharp straight left have given problems to everybody he has faced. Not only does Leon possess an elite striking game, but his grappling and conditioning are more than able to be compared with the best in the division. It will be no easy task, but ‘Rocky’ Edwards has a good shot to bring the title home.

(#6) Paulo Costa (13-2) vs Luke Rockhold (16-5) – middleweight bout

A former middleweight champion is hoping to make a return to title contention, but he take on a Brazilian wrecking ball in the co-main event.

Though he’s only dropped losses to champion Israel Adesanya and title contender Marvin Vettori, it feels like Paulo Costa has lost the steam he once had. Poor form and a lack of professionalism in the aforementioned bouts have knocked the Brazilian down the ladder, but he seems reinvigourated ahead of UFC 278. If there’s one thing Costa brings to the table, it’s his brutish pressure. His ability to bring the heat and work the body until his opponents crumble is the main thing that make him a very dangerous opponent. A big performance against Rockhold will surely place ‘The Eraser’ back into title discussions.

There was a point in time when Luke Rockhold was anticipated to go on a historic title run to rival Anderson Silva’s, but that never played out. Since his title win in 2015, the Californian has only fought four times, picking up only one win. He has now partnered up with Jason Parillo and says that he fully intends on going on another title run. The natural athleticism, wide frame, thunderous kicks and underappreciated jiu-jitsu of the former champ are all attributes he brings into this fight. At 37 years old and his ability to take a punch under serious doubt, it seems like unlikely, but never count Rockhold out.

(#3) Jose Aldo (31-7) vs (#6) Merab Dvalishvili (14-4) – bantamweight bout

A potential crack at 135lb gold will be on the line in the feature bout, which will see a matchup between the greatest featherweight of all time and a Georgian wrestling machine.

Who could’ve envisioned the comeback that Jose Aldo has been pulling off? The former 145lb champion seemed destined for a gloomy retirement, but he has turned back the clock with sensational showings against Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font. The lightning-fast striking of Aldo is always discussed ahead of his fights, but his legendary takedown defense could pay real dividends in this outing. A second crack at the bantamweight title won’t be far off if ‘The King of Rio’ makes it four straight.

Starting out your UFC tenure with two losses is never a good start, but Merab Dvalishvili has made sure that’s not the memory fans would have of him. Instead, the community has come to know him as one of Georgia’s finest fighters and a fierce prospect to be reckoned with. The name of the game is wrestling for Dvalishvili, who has averaged 7.3 takedowns every fifteen minutes so far. If he can turn back a legend like Aldo, ‘The Machine’ will be in discussions with the elite.

Tyson Pedro (8-3) vs Harry Hunsucker (7-5) – light-heavyweight bout

A clash between two men with perfect finishing rates will look to captalise on their pay-per-view slot at UFC 278.

A long absence from Tyson Pedro was finally snapped earlier this year, finishing Ike Villanueva by TKO in one round. Despite training with knockout artists like Mark Hunt and Tai Tuivasa, Pedro’s main talent lies on the mat. He will be very quick to snatch a submission when the fight hits the mat, but is a capable striker as well. He’s eager to re-enter the rankings, having been a top fifteen contender before his layoff. ‘Kangaroo Paws’ never disappoints, so keep your eyes on him this weekend.

The UFC journey for Harry Hunsucker hasn’t unfolded as he intended, to say the least. A pair of losses to Tai Tuivasa and Justin Tafa have given the Kentucky native the incentive to move down to the light-heavyweight division. Hunsucker is not afraid to go forward in search of the finish, which he has gotten in all of his fights. The move to 205lbs could do wonders for ‘The Hurricane’ and give him his first win in the promotion.

(#11) Marcin Tybura (22-7) vs (#13) Alexandr Romanov (16-0) – heavyweight bout

A seasoned Polish veteran of the division will have to fight off an oncoming Moldovan smasher to keep his ranking in the featured prelim.

Time and time again, Marcin Tybura proves to the masses that he deserves to be taken seriously as a force at heavyweight. His only loss in his last six bouts came to divisional mainstay Alexander Volkov, who snapped a five-fight win-streak. The Pole has fast reflexes and big power, backed nicely by a wrestling game that sees him maul from top position. A win at UFC 278 would be massive for the former M-1 Global champion.

Is there a scarier oncoming threat at heavyweight than Alexandr Romanov? The Moldovan successfully flipped an amateur wrestling career into an undefeated MMA career, where he has racked up fifteen finishes in sixteen wins. Romanov will always try to bring the fight to the ground and will put his opponents there in emphatic fashion. From there, he’s happy to work for a submission or pound until the finish. ‘King Kong’ could became a major issue for the heavyweight division.

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Will Usman continue to cement his legacy? Will Edwards bring the title back to Birmingham? Let us know in the comments!