The UFC is back with its ninth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.
UFC 278 takes place Saturday at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
The main event features a highly anticipated rematch between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) and Leon Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC). The two first fought in December 2015 in Usman’s first fight after winning Season 21 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Usman won a unanimous decision and went on to win the 170-pound title, which he has defended five times. Edwards has gone 9-0 since their first fight.
The co-main event features the return of former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold (16-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who will be fighting for the first time in more than three years when he meets Paulo Costa (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
The second episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:
Leon Edwards takes a swing with his team. Champ Kamaru Usman gets energy from his brother, a fellow Ultimate Fighter. Alexandr Romanov gets gritty in training. Jose Aldo and Paulo Costa travel from Brazil. Luke Rockhold acclimates Park City-style.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.