Leon Edwards’ knockout of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 was shocking, stunning, dramatic, incredible, all of the above.
One thing it was not, however, was lucky.
Maybe the head-kick finish with 56 second remaining in the fifth round was, to use a football term, a “Hail Mary,” as Usman later described it. After all, Edwards was headed for certain defeat on the judges’ scorecards after being dominated in Rounds 2, 3 and 4.
But this wasn’t a case of everyone-run-to-the-end-zone-and-the-quarterback-heaves-the-ball-in-the-air-hoping-for-the-best. No, this was a well executed play.
Wasn’t that obvious when Daniel Cormier broke it down on the UFC 278 broadcast? Edwards threw his left hand out with no intention of landing, only to get Usman to react. And when Usman reacted by leaning to his right just how Edwards thought he would, the head kick was there, and that was all she wrote.
Here’s a step-by-step for you (just in case):
If after looking at that you’re still of the opinion Edwards landed a lucky kick, then what about this video from BT Sport (see below) that shows Team Renegade coaches Henry Cleminson and Dave Lovell studying film and then drilling the technique with Edwards before UFC 278?
𝕀𝕗 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝔽𝕒𝕚𝕝 𝕋𝕠 ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝔸𝕣𝕖 ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕠 𝔽𝕒𝕚𝕝.@Leon_edwardsmma and Team Renegade MMA had it all planned out 🦵👀 pic.twitter.com/hOFHlDc0mI
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) August 24, 2022
Edwards certainly did his homework.
If you still think it was a lucky shot, well, you’re wrong. The proof is right there.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.
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