Watch: Slow-motion clip of Kamaru Usman getting viciously kicked in the head by Leon Edwards

Edwards v Usman at UFC 278 [Image via @ufc on Instagram]

Leon Edwards scripted one of the most epic comebacks in a UFC title fight when he knocked out Kamaru Usman in the last minute of the fifth round at UFC 278.

Edwards faked a straight left which forced Usman to slip to his right in anticipation of the punch. The slow motion video of the knockout captures the sheer power and inch-perfect execution of the headkick:

KO's are better in super slo mo.
#UFC278
https://t.co/tWmpA7VnL4

The path to victory at UFC 278 wasn't a cakewalk for Edwards. 'Rocky' did a great job in the first round of creating angles for his attacks and even managed to take Usman down, nearly sinking in a rear-naked choke. The Nigerian overturned the deficit of the first round with a dominant display in the later rounds.

While it looked like the fight was slipping away from Edwards, his team pushed him to dig deep. The British fighter set up a crafty high kick that stifled his opponent and knocked him out clean.

A Nigerian nightmare courtesy of @Leon_EdwardsMMA 💥 #UFC278 https://t.co/M8pTzpG2Pf

With this victory, Leon Edwards became the second fighter from the United Kingdom to become a UFC champion. Until now, Michael Bisping was the only Brit to hold that distinguished honor.

Kamaru Usman claims that he will be back with vengeance after loss at UFC 278 against Leon Edwards

Kamaru Usman succumbed to a horrific knockout loss to rival Leon Edwards at UFC 278.

Usman was well on his way to making the sixth successful defense of his welterweight title as he dominated the majority of the fight. However, Edwards pulled a startling high leg kick from nowhere to script an epic comeback against the Nigerian.

A victory at UFC 278 would have tied him alongside former UFC middleweight titleholder Anderson Silva for the longest win streak in UFC history. Usman posted a tweet in the aftermath of his loss, reassuring his fans that he will be back with vengeance :

''Champs f$ck up sometimes… but we bounce back and come with vengeance!! 👊🏿🌍🤴🏿 #NGHTMR''

Champs f$ck up sometimes… but we bounce back and come with vengeance!! 👊🏿🌍🤴🏿 #NGHTMR

This was Kamaru Usman's second career loss, first in the UFC, and the only knockout loss of his MMA career. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' has been undefeated for the past nine years, and his last loss before UFC 278 came against Jose Caceres in May 2013.