UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards Preview, Odds, Prediction

Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards feature in the main event of the UFC 278 held in Salt Lake City, Utah. The venue is Vivint Smart Arena, the home of the Utah Jazz. Usman, the undisputed ruler of the welterweight division, puts his title on the line once again to prove that he is arguably the best fighter in this division of all time. On the other side is Edwards, who finally reached his chance to fight for the belt, and also, to get even with Kamaru, who is the last guy to defeat the English warrior.

Preview

Kamaru Usman (20-1) (-340) is the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. That tells a lot about the Nigerian Nightmare, who rolled over all of his rivals up to this point. Kamaru has 19 straight victories, and none of them was controversial or doubtful.

After winning the UFC welterweight title against Tyron Woodley, Usman defended the belt on five occasions beating each one of his rivals who weren’t even close to upsetting the champ. The most recent trip to the octagon was against Colby Covington at the UFC 268, and that one ended via unanimous decision in Usman’s favor.

Incredibly endurable, with the biggest gas tank of all the UFC fighters, Usman constantly pressures his rivals, whether by aggressive striking in the clinch or wrestling. His wrestling is magnificent, and we didn’t see a guy who was able to compete with Kamaru so far. Overhand left is his most significant weapon, and a KO against Masvidal is proof of that.

Leon Edwards (19-3-1) (+280) has an impressive defeatless streak as well, not losing in the last ten bouts. He won nine of them, and had one no-contest ending, which was against Belal Muhammad. He accidentally poked the rival in the eye, and the fight stopped after that.

We’ve mentioned that Edwards’ last loss was against Kamaru, way back in December 2015. It was a unanimous decision defeat, but following that, Rocky went on a spree that still lasts. During this streak, he beat Vicente Luque, Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson, Rafael dos Anjos and most recently, Nate Diaz in a battle that could end terribly for Rocky.

He is extremely durable and has a fantastic gas tank. This guy’s physical shape is always at the highest possible level, and that is why 10 of his 19 wins came via decision. Edwards is a solid boxer with very good knowledge of wrestling, and he uses these two things to pressure his rivals.

Prediction

Kamaru is the champion, and we believe that the Nigerian Nightmare is going to stay on the throne after this battle. The reason for that is his raw power because we think he is much stronger than Edwards. Even if Rocky responds well in terms of stamina, Kamaru is more powerful than him, which is the main reason why we bet on his victory here. The odds on that are -340, and aren’t that high, but the risk also isn’t that big. Usman will prove here that he is the best and the most dominant champion in the UFC.

Pick: Kamaru Usman wins -340