UFC 278
UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 20, 2022, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.[2]
UFC 278
A UFC Welterweight Championship bout between current champion (also The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians welterweight winner) Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards headlined the event.[4] The pairing previously met at UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cowboy 2 in December 2015 where Usman defeated Edwards by unanimous decision.[5]
A middleweight bout between former Strikeforce and UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold and former title challenger Paulo Costa was expected to take place at UFC 277.[6] However, the bout was postponed to this event due to unknown reasons.[7]
A women's flyweight bout between Miranda Maverick and Shanna Young was scheduled for the event.[10] However, the bout was cancelled on the day of the weigh-ins as Young was hospitalized due to weight cut issues.[11] They were rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 214.[12]
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Utah Athletic Commission. It is important to note the amounts do not include sponsor money, discretionary bonuses, viewership points or additional earnings. The total disclosed payout for the event was $2,542,000.[16]
UFC 278 with The Gronks will debut at 9-10 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+ (simulcast). At 10 p.m., it will move to ESPN+ for the ESPN+ PPV where it will stream until the conclusion of the event. Fans who purchase the UFC 278 Usman vs. Edwards 2 PPV will get both the stream hosted by Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier, and Joe Rogan, as well as UFC 278 with The Gronks, giving UFC 278 PPV purchasers more options to enjoy the event.
The kind of alternative commentary you might hear on, say, a party bus. Or a party cruise. Any kind of party that might be crashed by a golden retriever transformed into a 6-foot-6 future Hall of Fame tight end by a hammered warlock.
Seven years since their first encounter, Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards will meet once again, but this time the UFC welterweight title is on the line. A lot has happened since Usman beat Edwards via unaminous decision in December 2015.
Usman has gone from strength to strength, claiming UFC gold and becoming one of the most dominant champions in recent. Edwards on the other hand as had to go about his business the hard way by steadily rising through the UFC rankings and following a win over Nate Diaz last summer, the Birmingham man is ready for a title shot.
The main card is set to get underway at 10 p.m. ET / 3 a.m. BST with the main event cagewalks scheduled for 12 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. BST. These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
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Many believe Edwards represents the biggest welterweight threat to Usman at this time. I agree. Edwards is about as well-rounded a fighter as there is on the UFC roster. I'm interested to see how this one plays out. I'm expecting a close fight.
The UFC 278 main card is a strong one. We've got the return of former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold, who's fighting meme king Paulo Costa. I'm especially looking forward to Jose Aldo against Merab Dvalishvili. Aldo arguably has the best takedown defence in UFC history. Can't wait to see him against a new generation wrestler in Dvalishvili.
The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. That's great news for the UFC and the expansion of the sport of MMA, but bad news for consumer choice. Especially if you're one of the UFC fans who want to watch UFC in the US.
In the US, if you want to know how to watch UFC 278, you'll only find the fight night on pay per view through ESPN Plus. The cost structure is a bit confusing, but here are the options to watch UFC on ESPN, according to ESPN's site:
There are more options if you live in Australia. You can watch UFC 278 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also stream via Kayo for AU$55. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.
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"We're doing 15 fights per card now," White said before much was formalized beyond the main card between Kumaru "The Nigerian Nightmare" Usman and Leon "Rocky" Edwards. "I'm sure we'll wind up with a couple of guys from Utah."
Twenty-two fighters will suit up for UFC 278 at Vivint Arena beginning at 4:30 p.m. MDT Saturday, but none are from the state of Utah. Of course, that's not all on White or the UFC; a state that once housed a half-dozen UFC competitors have been reduced to a single fighter among the 700 under contract with the top MMA organization in the world.
When Court McGee, the Layton native who fights out of Orem, was unable to recover from injuries suffered in his last bout in June at UFC Fight Night in Austin, the promotion was unable to add a local area fighter to the card. Kaytlin "Katniss" Neil competed on Season 30 of The Ultimate Fighter at the time, but the Lindon native fell short in her bid for TUF crown and was left without a current UFC contract.
Getting that win is another question, though, with challenger Edwards (19-3), whose 10-match winning streak ranks third in UFC welterweight history. The Jamaican international, who fights out of England, hasn't lost since the first time he fought Usman, and he's eager to make up for that bout in 2015.
Edwards has been in Utah for the past two weeks, training and acclimating to the unique environment on the Wasatch Front. It's a habit he's built up over his career, and one that has served him well to adjust to, among other things, altitude changes like what he'll encounter in Salt Lake City.
Edwards and Usman both made weight in Friday's official weigh in, tipping the scales at precisely 170 pounds to formally stage the highly anticipated rematch. Both co-main event fighters, former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa, also made weight to set up their bout.
The only cancellation came in a women's bout when Shanna Young was withdrawn from the card because of a medical issue. The woman's bantamweight contender with a UFC record of 9-5 was scheduled to face Miranda Maverick.
Rockhold admits he's never fought professionally in Utah, but he is familiar with the state's MMA scene. He was spotted earlier in the week working out at The Pit with longtime friend Ramsey Niijem, who fights out of Orem. Nijem and Rockhold both grew up in the Bay Area before the 34-year-old Ramsey, a former NCAA wrestling champion who was under contract with UFC from 2011-15 following a stint on The Ultimate Fighter.
"A lot of positive energy. I've been following what this city is all about because of the Utah Jazz, and I've seen how they are," Aldo said in Portuguese. "What I expect is people coming out and being as rabid and avid about sports as they are for the Jazz. I think a lot of good things are going to happen."
For Alexandr Romanov, the No. 13-ranked featherweight in the promotion, Salt Lake City ranks high on his professional stops. That's because the 31-year-old Moldovian has never fought on a UFC card outside the promotion's Apex training center in Las Vegas.
That means Saturday night when Romanov's fight against Marcin Tybura will be the first since signing with UFC inside a full-sized cage and likely with the largest crowd since arriving in the United States.
"I'm coming here for the title. I think the guys who don't think about the title, they don't have a future in this division. I'm like a professional, and think that I need to win 3-4 more fights and try to make a title shot."
That event drew 6,689 fans to Vivint Arena with a total gate of just $481,033, considered a low mark for the organization despite McGee's inclusion on the card in a bout he won over Dominique Steele by unanimous decision.
Anyone in the organization will argue that UFC Fight Night is a completely different beast from a pay-per-view card, from promotion to high-end fighters to a lengthy list of festivities and parties before, on or around the fight that will be known as UFC 278.
But that makes UFC 278 more important to be deemed a success, both in the local market and nationally. And that means more than just ticket sales and total gate, but quality, entertaining bouts, as well.
UFC is in a completely different place since 2016. Back at Fight Night in Salt Lake City, Connor MacGregor was just a few weeks away from defending his title against Nate Diaz, and the UFC was preparing for its first promotion in Canada with UFC on FOX 21. The idea of a long-term contract with ESPN that would put PPV cards under the ticket of streaming service ESPN+ was nearly inconceivable.
The UFC is back on pay-per-view on Saturday night with UFC 278. Just one title fight this time around: long-time welterweight champion Kamaru Usman vs. former foe Leon Edwards. Down the card, you can get action down on 12 other fights, which kick off at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).
On Thursday, the company announced that UFC 278 would have an alternate broadcast starring the Gronkowski family (patriarch Gordon, along with sons Rob, Chris, Dan, Glenn, and Gordie Jr). The first hour of the simulcast will start at 9 PM ET and be available on ESPN and ESPN+, shifting to ESPN+ for the PPV beginning at 10 PM. Various guests will also appear, including Chuck Liddell, Kevin Holland, Paddy Pimblett, and Molly McCann. 041b061a72