June 12, (THEWILL) – On Saturday night, the UFC announced that Kamaru Usman would defend his welterweight title against Leon Edwards in a rematch at UFC 278, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Aug. 20. Usman defeated Edwards in the first bout between the two men, which took place in 2015 at UFC.
THEWILL recalls that Usman defeated Tyron Woodley to win the welterweight title at UFC 235 in 2019. Since then, he has successfully defended it five times, defeating Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal twice each, as well as Gilbert Burns.
The 35-year-old has a professional MMA record of 20-1 and is widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Edwards is the division’s number two contender, trailing only Covington, making him the champ’s next obvious opponent.
He last competed in June 2021, defeating Nate Diaz at UFC 263 in Las Vegas and has a professional MMA record of 19-3-1, having not lost in the UFC since his loss to Usman.
Since their initial battle, both men have appeared to be on a collision path and in the main event of UFC 278, the winning streak of one of these fighters will come to an end.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
