"We've never even seen him hurt before" - Din Thomas explains why there was a brief "moment of silence" inside the arena following Kamaru Usman's brutal knockout loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278
Leon Edwards shocked the world with a last-minute head-kick knockout of Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. The devastating KO left fans watching on in disbelief as 'The Nigerian Nightmare' was handed his first loss inside the octagon.
Speaking to MMA Fighting's Mike Heck, Din Thomas reflected on the matchup and explained why the fans inside the arena went silent immediately following the Brit's upset fifth-round finish of the now-former champion. Here's what the UFC analyst said:
"There was a moment of silence in which you kind of had to process what had happened because no one expected it. You couldn't have written it better, it was so unexpected, so sudden... We've never seen him hurt before. He may have gotten dazed a little bit but we've never even seen him hurt before. So to watch him go out, you kind of had to wrap your mind around that for a second and be like, 'Oh my God, did that really?' Yeah, it happened, so it was pretty surreal."
Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards will meet in a trilogy bout, with the Nigerian-American looking to reclaim the welterweight throne. A third showdown between the pair is expected to take place in the UK, potentially at the Wembley Stadium.
Dana White reveals he's interested in Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 in England and is "serious, but not serious" about doing it at Wembley.
#UFC278 | Full video: bit.ly/3AfEdeG https://t.co/JDc7NpKPm1
Leon Edwards' coach releases footage from UFC 278 camp, drilling the title-winning KO
Leon Edwards pulled off one of the biggest upsets in MMA with his brutal finish of Kamaru Usman in Salt Lake City. While many may consider the knockout to be a lucky shot, Edwards' coach Henry Cleminson released a video drilling the exact kick in training camp to prove that it wasn't a fluke.
Watch the video below:
Fluke?
Hail Mary?
Anyone who thinks Leon Edwards' KO of Kamaru Usman was either needs to watch this. #UFC278
https://t.co/tnqr6OTr0m
Leon Edwards had a strong first round against 'The Nigerian Nightmare' in their championship bout. However, he struggled to build any momentum in the following rounds. Usman dominated the Brit by utilizing his strong wrestling base and was en route to a comfortable decision win before getting caught by the kick.
With the victory, Edwards extended his unbeaten streak to 11 (1 NC). 'Rocky' will now look to deliver a strong performance when he likely faces Usman in a trilogy bout.