| Kamaru Usman |
TALE OF THE TAPE |
Leon Edwards |
| 35 |
Age |
30 |
| 6 ft. |
Height |
6 ft. 2 in. |
| 76 in. |
Reach |
74 in. |
| 20-1 |
Record |
19-3, 1 no-contest |
Attempting his sixth title defense in a row, welterweight champion and pound-for-pound great Kamaru Usman has not lost a fight since 2013.
His opponent, Leon Edwards, has not lost a fight since the first time he did battle with Usman back in 2015. Since that loss, Edwards has racked up nine straight wins (with one no-contest mixed in).
Edwards last defeated Nate Diaz via unanimous decision at UFC 263 last June.
Usman last fought at UFC 268 last November, defeating Colby Covington for the second time – this time via unanimous decision.
Edwards is ranked as the number-two welterweight in the world while Usman ranks as the number-one pound-for-pound men’s fighter on the UFC roster.
The challenger will stand two inches taller but the champion will have a reach advantage of two-inches.
To find out how to place your bets for this welterweight championship main event, check out our ultimate UFC betting guide to get started.
Paulo Costa vs Luke Rockholder – Middleweight Division
| Paulo Costa |
TALE OF THE TAPE |
Luke Rockhold |
| 31 |
Age |
37 |
| 6 ft. |
Height |
6 ft. 3 in. |
| 72 in. |
Reach |
77 in. |
| 13-2 |
Record |
16-5 |
For the first time since 2019, former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will return to the octagon.
Rockhold has lost his last two fights, including a knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz during a move up to the light heavyweight division. He has not won a fight since his 2017 TKO of David Branch.
Like Rockhold, Paulo Costa is riding a two-fight losing streak. He lost to champion Israel Adesanya and then lost at light heavyweight to Marvin Vettori last October.
Both fighters boast black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Rockhold is the taller man and will have a significant five-inch reach advantage over Costa.
However, unsurprisingly, the more active Costa is listed as a -340 favorite.
Jose Aldo vs Merab Dvalishvili – Bantamweight Division
| Jose Aldo |
TALE OF THE TAPE |
Merab Dvalishvili |
| 35 |
Age |
31 |
| 5 ft. 7 in. |
Height |
5 ft. 6 in. |
| 70 in. |
Reach |
68 in. |
| 31-7 |
Record |
14-4 |
Someone’s winning streak is coming to an end Saturday night.
Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo has won his last three in a row, most recently defeating Rob Font by unanimous decision last December.
Merab Dvalishvili has won his last seven straight with his last win coming in the form of a second-round TKO over Marlon Moraes at UFC 266 last September.
Dvalishivili’s black belt in judo will be tested by Aldo’s black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and luta livre.
At -125, Dvalishvili is the slight favorite over the -102 Jose Aldo.
Marcin Tybura vs Alexander Romanov – Heavyweight Division
| Marcin Tybura |
TALE OF THE TAPE |
Alexander Romanov |
| 36 |
Age |
31 |
| 6 ft. 3 in. |
Height |
6 ft. 2 in. |
| 78 in. |
Reach |
75 in. |
| 22-7 |
Record |
16-0 |
After five wins in a row (including two performance bonuses), Marcin Tybura recently had his winning streak snapped by Alexander Volkov last October at UFC 267. Prior to the loss, Tybura had earned TKO wins over Walt Harris and Greg Hardy.
Fighting just a few months ago, undefeated Alexander Romanov submitted Chase Sherman in the first round of their fight this past April.
It was Romanov’s fifth win in the UFC and fourth finish.
Romanov, an Olympic freestyle wrestler, will test Tybura’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
Tybura stands one inch taller and will have a three-inch reach advantage. However, Romanov is the second-largest betting favorite on the main card at -500.
Tyson Pedro vs Harry Hunsucker – Light Heavyweight Division
| Tyson Pedro |
TALE OF THE TAPE |
Harry Hunsucker |
| 30 |
Age |
33 |
| 6 ft. 3 in. |
Height |
6 ft. 2 in. |
| 79 in. |
Reach |
75 in. |
| 8-3 |
Record |
7-5 |
We kick off the main card with an appearance from Tyson Pedro, who at -900, is the biggest betting favorite on the main card of UFC 278 despite being just 2-3 over his last five fights.
He most recently defeated Ike Villanueva by first-round KO this past April.
Pedro takes on Harry Hunsucker, who is 0-2 since signing with the UFC. He has lost both his fights by first-round knockout.
Tyson Pedro will stand one inch taller than Hunsucker and will have a four-inch reach advantage. He also holds black belts in Japanese jiu-jitsu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and kempo karate.
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