UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman finally has his return date. And Leon Edwards finally has his title shot.
Usman has been booked to defend his title against top contender Edwards in the main event of UFC 278, which is set to go down Aug. 20 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
The news was announced Saturday during the UFC 275 pay-per-view broadcast.
Usman (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) has yet to compete in 2022. The 35-year-old last fought in November at UFC 268 where he defeated Colby Covington in a rematch to defend his title for a fifth time. Usman suffered a broken hand during the bout, which he subsequently had surgery on and spent the first half of 2022 rehabbing. Usman is unbeaten in the UFC and on a 19-fight winning streak.
Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) has been a top contender for some time now. The English fighter has yet to lose since a setback to Usman back in 2015. Edwards is unbeaten in nine consecutive fights with eight victories and one no contest. During that stretch, Edwards has beaten the likes of Vicente Luque, Rafael dos Anjos and most recently Nate Diaz.
