By Sulaimon Jamiu
Britain’s Leon Edwards ‘Rocky’ shocked the world with a head-kick knockout in the waning moments of the UFC 278 versus Nigeria-born Kamaru Usman to earn the welterweight crown.
The “Rocky” story of Edwards came to life with a come-from-behind, head-kick knockout late in Round 5 of the main event of UFC 278 on Saturday night.
After becoming the first person to score a takedown on the nearly perfect champion in Round 1, Edwards struggled in the following rounds to build any kind of momentum.
The Nigerian Nightmare took over the fight with his superior wrestling and slung heavy boxing combinations and seemed on his way to yet another title defense as he neared Anderson Silva’s record for most all time.
Usman’s pace slowed in Round 5, but it was likely leading towards an unanimous decision win for the champ as Edwards seemed defeated in his corner as his team begged him to come to life in the final round.
Suddenly, Edwards flicked out a right jab and fired up a left head kick that knocked Usman out cold at 4:04 of Round 5.
“Pound-for-pound. Headshot. Dead,” Edwards told UFC commentator Joe Rogan during his post-fight interview. “I said all week I felt like this is my moment. Everything that happened in the past. The last two years, the pandemic. There is no ring rust. I told you, now look at me now.”
Edwards improved to 20-3 (1 NC) with the win over Usman. His undefeated streak improved to 11. Usman saw his 19-fight winning streak snap in the blink of an eye and suffered his first loss in nine years.
However, Usman remained optimistic about his future. The former champion took to Twitter and promised to return with a vengeance.
