It was a long journey for Leon Edwards to become UFC champion, but the payoff was well worth it.
Edwards claimed welterweight gold with a head kick knockout of Kamaru Usman in the UFC 278 main event at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. The end came 4:04 into Round 5, one of the latest finishes for a championship fight in promotion history. Moments earlier, Edwards appeared to be on his way to losing a clear-cut unanimous decision. In the aftermath, “Rocky” admitted that the Utah altitude may have gotten to him.