At UFC 278 Leon Edwards made historical past by defeating Kamaru Usman with a crushing head kick with lower than a minute to spare within the fifth and last rounds. Had the combat gone the gap it’s virtually sure that Usman would have received a judges’ resolution and proceed on as champion and males’s high pound-for-pound fighter.
The kick represented the climax of a seven yr journey for Edwards, whose final loss within the UFC was a unanimous resolution to Usman again when each males have been simply beginning out within the Octagon.
The kick itself was a factor of magnificence, arrange with a deft feint and delivered with scary accuracy and devastating energy. The end result noticed Usman fold after which flatten on the canvas.
There have been plenty of well-known head kick KOs within the UFC, a few of which received and defended titles. Nonetheless, UFC commentator (and former double champion) Daniel Cormier thinks Edwards’ current entry has to go down as one of the best we’ve ever seen within the promotion.
He gushed concerning the transfer over on his YouTube channel.
“I can actually say, and so did my broadcast companions, all of us agree, this was the best head kick knockout that we’ve seen within the UFC, particularly due to the circumstances,” he stated (ht MMA Preventing). “Leon Edwards was down. He was dropping to Kamaru Usman. He was down three rounds to at least one and he was going to lose the fifth. However he discovered the right head kick to make him the champion…
“We wrote Leon Edwards’ obituary, and I wish to apologize for that. However I don’t see something improper, due to the way in which that it was going and what we’ve seen Kamaru Usman has executed prior, I felt like Usman was going to cruise to the end line and retain his championship. Now this modifications all the things. Usman has to restart his run…
“Take into account, Kamaru Usman was up three, 4 rounds to at least one. We’ve got to do not forget that. However only a nice evening total, and what I do consider was the best [head kick] knockout in UFC [history]. Ronda Rousey-Holly Holm was nice, however nothing has matched this. This was the best comeback, the only biggest comeback in UFC historical past, as a result of Leon Edwards snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. He was effectively on his strategy to getting beat by Kamaru Usman and he acquired the job executed. So congrats to Leon Edwards and his whole staff.”
After giving Edwards his flowers, Cormier addressed how ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is perhaps feeling after dropping each his consciousness and his 170 lbs crown.
“For Kamaru Usman, how a lot did this modification? As a man who has been knocked out earlier than, all the things modifications when you notice that it’s potential. When you might have that aura of invincibility, that perception that you simply can’t be put out clear, you might be keen to do quite a lot of issues. Usman went out right this moment for the very first time in his profession, and I ponder how that’s going to have an effect on him going ahead.
“But when you consider the matchup and the way it was going, and it’s important to guess the third combat, you’ve acquired to assume that Usman’s going to be the favourite, as a result of he was cruising. He was doing a extremely good job of pressuring Leon Edwards, bullying Leon Edwards — these are Leon’s coaches phrases — and actually making Leon combat on his heels. But it surely was the second that he didn’t that again him up is when Leon Edwards discovered that lovely excessive kick. He went proper hand, left hand straight. He didn’t throw both of these strikes to attach. He threw them simply with a view to get Usman’s fingers up in order that he may land the pinnacle kick that in the end received him the championship. It was good.”
Along with Holm vs. Rousey, the UFC has been blessed with a bevy of epic head kick KOs over its historical past. A few of this author’s favourites embody the finishes from Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Hughes 2, Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop, Lyoto Machida vs. Vitor Belfort, Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim and Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold.
What do you assume? The place does Edwards head kick rank and what are a few of your favourites?
