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UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will defend his belt for the sixth time when facing Leon Edwards at UFC 278 this August. He's defended the title five times against top-level opposition since claiming the belt from Tyron Woodley in 2019.
Usman most recently ran it back with Colby Covington at UFC 268 and defeated 'Chaos' via unanimous decision after five rounds. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has defended his belt twice against Covington and has also defended the welterweight strap twice against Jorge Masvidal.
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The only other fighter Kamaru Usman has currently defended his belt against is Gilbert Burns. The champ finished Burns in the third round via TKO.
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Next month, Leon Edwards will be getting his first shot at the title since joining the UFC in 2015. In his most recent appearance, 'Rocky' defeated Nate Diaz via unanimous decision after surviving a late scare in the final round.
Edwards hasn't lost since 2015, which poetically was when he faced Usman at UFC on FOX 17. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' won via unanimous decision, but the bout was only three rounds long, meaning it'll be interesting to see the two fighters battle it out over five championship frames at UFC 278.
How much did Kamaru Usman earn in his first fight against Leon Edwards?
As many MMA fans know, when fighters first join the UFC, it can be hard for them to earn a solid living. Against Leon Edwards in 2015, Kamaru Usman took home just $26,500 in total, per MMA Salaries.
Usman was paid $12,000 as a base salary and another $12,000 for winning the bout. The current UFC champion also received $2,500 from the UFC's sponsorship money. At the time, this was the second-largest amount Usman had been paid for a UFC bout.
To put the Usman v. Edwards 1 fight purse into context, Kamaru Usman reportedly earned a whopping $1,892,000 against Colby Covington in his latest UFC outing.
The welterweight king will likely be earning around that much for the rematch against 'Rocky', with all of Usman's last four bouts earning him at least $1,000,000.
