UFC 278 odds: Kamaru Usman opens as sizable betting favorite over Leon Edwards

No. 2-ranked UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards will (finally) get his long-awaited rematch against reigning 170-pound champion Kamaru Usman when they hook ‘em up in the upcoming UFC 278 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, recently made official for Sat., Aug. 20, 2022 from inside Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Edwards (19-3, 1 NC) and Usman (20-1) met once before, with the “Nigerian Nightmare” capturing a unanimous decision victory over “Rocky” at the UFC on FOX 17 event more than six years back. That was the last time Edwards, now 30, tasted defeat inside the Octagon. Usman, 35, is a perfect 15-0 under the UFC banner with five successful title defenses.

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MASSIVE MIDDLEWEIGHT MATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Sydney, Australia, for the first time in five years on Sat., Sept. 9, 2023, with a 185-pound world title fight inside Qudos Bank Arena. In the ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight roost-ruler, Israel Adesanya, plans to silence No. 5-seeded contender, Sean Strickland. In UFC 293’s hard-hitting Heavyweight co-main event, No-6-ranked fan favorite, Tai Tuivasa, locks horns with towering Russian, Alexander Volkov (No. 8).

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Edwards opened as the +210 (21/10) betting underdog, according to BetOnline.ag, against -250 (2/5) for Usman. Like most UFC odds, you can expect these numbers to fluctuate (in both directions) as we inch closer to fight night. Usman has not opened as a betting underdog since booking his UFC 235 title fight opposite then-champion Tyron Woodley.

UFC 278 will also feature the middleweight showdown between former 185-pound champion Luke Rockhold and ex-title challenger Paulo Costa. Elsewhere on the card, Victor Altamirano and Jake Hadley collide at flyweight, while Luis Saldana and Sean Woodson throw down at 145 pounds.

Expect more UFC 278 fight card announcements in the coming weeks.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 278 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ABC/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 278: “Usman vs. Edwards 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.