UFC Fight Night

Kamaru v Edwards (UFC 278)

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Preview: Kamaru v Edwards (UFC 278)

Two fighters currently undefeated in their last 10 fights , Usman Kamaru “The Nigeria Nightmare” and Leon “Rocky” Edwards, will be the center of attention at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.

Reigning welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will look to add to his 15-fight winning streak in the promotion without a loss, while Leon Edwards brings a 10-fight unbeaten streak into his first title opportunity.

Usman will face Edwards for the second time at UFC 278; their first encounter ended in a unanimous decision for Usman back in December 2015.

USMAN KAMARU
Under the guidance of his new coach, Trevor Wittman, Kamaru, who has 20 victories and one defeat in mixed martial arts and 15 consecutive victories in the UFC, has reinvented himself. His jab has improved significantly, and his strikes have become even more lethal. One of the best all-around fighters in the UFC, Kamaru is a master of brutal knockouts and will be looking to KO Edwards this weekend.

Stats
Kamaru has landed more significant strikes 4.66 per minute; has a striking accuracy of 53%; striking defense rate, avoiding 59%. He has won nine fights via strikes and has won only one fight by submission, against Hayder Hassan in his UFC debut in 2015.
Kamaru hits an average of three takedowns per 15-minute fight with an accuracy rate of 49 percent. He also has an 100 percent takedown defense rate.

LEON EDWARDS
In MMA, Edwards has a total of 18 victories and 3 losses, while in the UFC, he has a total of 10 victories and 2 losses. Edwards, who has a 10-bout winning streak, has not lost a fight since his defeat to Kamaru in 2015. Given that this is Edward’s first shot at the title, he’ll give Kamaru a run for his money.

Stats
Edward has landed 2.62 strikes per minute, he has a striking accuracy of 49% and successfully avoided 59% of the strikes thrown at him. Edwards has won three fights by submission and has attempted 0.35 submission per 15 minutes.

The Briton has an average of 1.48 takedowns per 15 minutes with an accuracy rate of 35%as well as 70% takedown defence.

Kamaru v Edwards Betting Tips
Edwards will not be a walkover for Kamaru Usman. The English fighter is a tough nut to crack and since his last loss to Usman, he has faced several elite fighters and remained unbeaten. The Nigerian-American will fight a vastly different fighter to the one he beat seven years ago.

However, Usman is also a much different fighter and is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world for a reason. We think Usman wins this one easily.

Bet on:

Tip 1: Bet on Kamaru to win @ 1.30 (Oddsboosted from 1.27)

Tip 2: if you believe, as we do, that Kamaru can knock Edwards out early, bet on Under 4.5 rounds @ 2.30

You can also bet on the other UFC matches this weekend with BetKing below!