UFC 278 brings action-packed card to Salt Lake City

This Saturday, August 20, Salt Lake City, Utah and Vivint Arena shine under the bright lights of UFC pay-per-view for the first time.

An action-packed UFC 278 card is headlined by a rematch seven years in the making between UFC Welterweight champion “the Nigerian Nightmare” Kamaru Usman and Leon “Rocky” Edwards. Both men have come from humble beginnings in Nigeria and England, respectively. Despite all the obstacles they have faced, both Usman and Edwards have worked to become elite Welterweights in the UFC.

The UFC 278 headliner is history making. According to MMA Junkies, Mike Bohn, Saturday’s main event marks the first time in UFC history that two fighters with win streaks of 10 or more fights square off in octagon.

In their first meeting, Usman dominated Edwards using his wrestling. Usman developed a strong wrestling base from his time at the University of Nebraska Kearney. During his time in Nebraska, Usman was one of the best wrestlers at the Division II level, winning a National Championship in 2010 at 174 pounds and becoming a three-time All-American.

Since then, Usman has evolved into an extraordinarily well-rounded fighter with the help of striking Coach Trevor Wittman in Denver, Colorado. Since entering the UFC in 2015 after winning the Ultimate Fighter Season 21, Usman has elevated himself to become the No. 1 pound for pound fighter in the world. Usman is currently undefeated in the UFC, and riding the second longest win streak in UFC history with 15.

With a win Saturday, Usman will tie Anderson “The Spider” Silva for the longest win streak. During the streak, Usman captured the Welterweight belt dethroning Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 in 2019. During his five straight title defenses, the “Nigerian Nightmare” proved to be more frightening with every octagon appearance, showcasing his improved striking ability with knockout wins over rivals Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal. On the challenge Edwards presents, Usman said this week “each and every time I go out there, I’m out to prove that I am the pound for pound best.”

For Edwards, a rematch with Usman has been on his mind for the last seven years. During that time, Edwards refined his game while training in Birmingham, England. On his current 10-fight win streak Edwards has added improved wrestling to his arsenal to go along with his elite striking. The wrestling acumen of Edwards was on display in wins over Gunnar Nelson, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Nate Diaz.

Prior to earning a title shot, Edwards had a string of bad luck with six canceled flights. Edwards did not compete in 2020 for a myriad of reasons including testing positive for COVID-19. Despite all of the hardships, Edwards used the impressive nature of his win over Nate Diaz to springboard himself into the rematch that is before him Saturday night. Saturday night also presents Edwards when the opportunity to become the first British UFC champion since Michael Bisping.

Edwards is confident in his ability to even the series with Usman. Edwards told UFC reporter Megan Olivi this week, “I deserve this, I belong here.”

In the rematch, look for Usman to rely on his wrestling and overall strength to neutralize the power of Edwards. The long-awaited rematch between Usman and Edwards is extremely intriguing. Just how much better has Edwards gotten over the last seven years? Is he on the level of Usman? We will find out Saturday night.

The co-main event of UFC 278 features a matchup in the Middleweight division features two men looking to find their way back to prominence after years away from the octagon as former Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold clashes with former title challenger No. 6-ranked Paulo Costa.

Rockhold, now 37, returns to the octagon for the first time in three years looking to reclaim the magic he once had. Rockhold came to the UFC from Strike Force in 2013, billed as one of the most talented Middleweights the company had ever seen. Rockhold’s versatile striking ability and suffocating submissions carried him to a title shot just five flights into his UFC career at UFC 194 with Chris Weidman. Rockhold used his ground and pound to earn the Middleweight belt. Rockhold’s time with the belt was short-lived however as Rockhold was upset by Michael Bisping losing by knockout at UFC 199. Injuries, as well as subpar defense led to Rockhold’s demise as the former champion hasn’t won a fight since 2017.

Now, fully healthy Rockhold believes that he can once again compete at the highest level of mixed martial arts and have success. Paulo Costa has had problems of his own despite a 13-2 record highlighted by 11 knockout victories. Costa comes into Saturday night having lost his last two bouts to Marvin Vettori and current Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. In order to stay in the top 10, Costa must be focused mentally. In his losses, Costa has seemed not to be all there. There have been flashes of greatness in Costa’s career, including knockout wins over Uriah Hall and Johnny Hendricks. Consistency is what has been missing for Costa. With a knockout win Saturday night, Costa can silence the doubters and re-enter the Middleweight title picture.

At Bantamweight, a de facto title eliminator bout between No. 3-ranked José Aldo and No. 6-ranked Merab “the Machine” Dvalishvili is sure to bring violence. Aldo, the 35-year-old King of Rio looks to continue his run to reclaim champion status making his 20th UFC appearance. In order to push his win streak to four, the former champion will have to contend with the unrelenting pace that Dvalishvili sets.

Out of the country of Georgia, Dvalishvili is no stranger to adversity after starting his UFC career 0-2. After the rough beginning in the UFC, the machine has run off seven consecutive wins, showing a rarely seen durability and will to win. Dvalishvili’s will to win was on full display in his last octagon appearance as the Georgian walked through fire to earn a comeback victory over UFC legend Marlon Moraes. Winning against Aldo and dealing with the future hall of famer’s sophisticated striking will be a tall task for Dvalishvili.

Determining the outcome of this fight is fairly simple, if the fight stays standing Aldo likely earns the victory. Conversely, if Dvalishvili’s wrestling is effective enough to get the fight to the ground, the Dvalishvili will likely be victorious. One thing is for sure, regardless of where the fight goes, total chaos will ensue.

Also, on the main card in the women’s Bantamweight division 28-year-old Lucie Pudilova returns to the octagon for her second stint in the UFC after picking up a pair of wins in the octagon MMA promotion. The Native of the Czech Republic will look to put her four-fight losing streak in the UFC behind her as she faces China’s Yonan Wu.

In the main card opener at light heavyweight, highly touted prospect Tyson Pedro looks to build off his win against Ike Villanueva in April as he takes on Dana White Contender Series alum Henry Hunsucker. Pedro is now fully healthy and ready to make noise at 205 pounds. His opponent Hunsucker, is still looking for his elusive first UFC win. The 33-year-old Kentucky native has been knocked out in his two UFC appearances versus Tai Tuivasa and Justin Tafa respectively.

For Pedro to be put on the main card this early in UFC career must mean that the company feels that he has the potential to be Australia’s next superstar. Will the bright lights of a pay-per-view be too much for the 30-year-old Pedro? Or will he rise to the occasion? Time will tell.

The featured prelim at Heavyweight between top 15 foes Alexander Romanov and Marcin Tybura would be on the main card on most nights. Romanov, out of Moldova, put his undefeated 16-0 record on the line versus the 36-year-old veteran Tybura. Romanov has dominated the competition primarily with his wrestling and submissions. Romanov faces his toughest test to date with Tybura. Out of Poland, the 36-year-old entered the UFC as a kickboxer. The early portion of his career was up and down to say the least. Over the course of his career, Tybura has evolved from kickboxer to wrestler. The change in game plan has paid dividends for Tybura of late as the veteran has one and five of his last six octagon appearances. This fight will come down to who is able to grapple more effectively.

Also on the main prelims, veteran Jared Gordon and Dana White’s Contender alum Sean Woodson return to the octagon. The highly anticipated 13-fight card begins at 6 p.m. ET with the early prelims on ESPN. For the third consecutive pay-per-view event, the main prelims will be simulcast on ESPN and ABC in prime time at 8 p.m. ET.

The UFC’s recent takeover of ABC’s Saturday night prime time window illustrates the UFC’s legitimacy as a major sport. The UFC has come a long way from the early 1990s when politicians like the late John McCain made an effort to get the UFC and mixed martial arts outlawed in the United States. Politicians called the sport “human cockfighting.” Almost all of the sports growth can be attributed to Dana White, the Fertitta brothers and Marc Ratner, the UFC‘s vice president of regulatory affairs. Fans can watch the UFC continue to grow with the UFC 278 main card at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN Plus.