Leon Edwards pulled off a shocking upset over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. The new welterweight champion was down three rounds to one on all three scorecards with a minute left before landing a vicious head kick to secure a fifth-round knockout victory.
Fans reacted to a video highlight of Edwards' knockout that featured the soundtrack from the ultimate underdog movie 'Rocky':
Enjoy these fan reactions:
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Many fans also commented on the great coaching from Leon Edwards' corner:
Leon Edwards' corner deserves plenty of credit for his victory at UFC 278. While many coaches lie to their fighters to keep their morale high, Edwards' corner inspired and motivated him with the truth. Edwards also deserves massive credit for listening to his cornermen.
The UFC 278 win was memorable in more ways than one for Edwards. He became the first fighter born in Jamaica to become a UFC champion. He also joined Michael Bisping as the only two fighters representing the United Kingdom to win a UFC belt.
Edwards has remained humble throughout his journey to the top, and it will be interesting to see if that remains true now that he is a champion. He will likely defend his title for the first time against Usman in what figures to be an entertaining end to their trilogy.
Leon Edwards proves why many felt he was the biggest threat to Kamaru Usman
Leading up to the fight, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya stated that Leon Edwards was the biggest threat to Kamaru Usman's throne. MMA analyst Josh Thomson reiterated those thoughts, claiming that Edwards would be Usman's toughest fight outside of Colby Covington.
Following the outcome of UFC 278, it is easy to see why many refused to count Edwards out- he was fighting against one of the two greatest welterweights to ever live.
Edwards, who refused to engage in trash talk in a division that has the likes of Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, was able to accomplish what no other UFC welterweight has and defeat Kamaru Usman.
As Adesanya pointed out, 'Rocky' has often been overlooked in the welterweight title discussion because of his lack of a desire to engage in trash-talk. After his stunning knockout victory, it is now impossible to overlook Edwards' skill. Despite trailing on all three scorecards entering the fifth-round, Edwards' ability to remain level headed and focused shows that he is truly a deserving champion.