Leon Edwards became the UFC’s second British champion when his last-minute head kick knocked out Kamaru Usman.
His performance not only shocked the world, but it set a precedent for underdogs winning UFC main event cards via head kicks in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Edwards would go on to beat Usman in London for their third encounterGetty
Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against the no.8 ranked Khalil Rountree Jr at UFC 307 this weekend in Utah.
Pereira, who has held UFC Gold in two different divisions, is the heavy favourite for the bout with Rountree, who has never featured in a UFC main event before.
UFC 278 was the first official pay-per-view event to appear in Utah, and witnessed one of the best head kick finishes that Dana White’s promotion has ever witnessed.
You have to go all the way back to August 2016 for the first time the UFC appeared in the western state.
It was a UFC Fight Night, which saw MMA veteran Yair Rodriguez beat Alex Caceres via split-decision over five rounds.
Then, in August 2022, Edwards fought Usman for the second time and knocked him out with 56 seconds left on the clock, in only the second UFC event to feature in Utah.
After that, we had Dustin Poirier face Justin Gaethje at UFC 291, in what was, ironically, the pair’s second bout too.
Just like Usman’s victory over Edwards when both men first met, the result was the same for Poirier, as he beat Gaethje at the first time of asking.
However, at the second time of asking, the script flipped in the exact same manner as Edwards vs Usman.
The bout between Gaethje and Poirier in Salt Lake City was the second time that the BMF title had been in contention, and it certainly lived up to its expectations.
Poirier vs Gaethje 2 topped the UFC’s best card of the yearUFC/TNT SPORTS
Gaethje was more patient and technical the second time around, although both men traded heavy blows in what was a blockbuster first round.
Then, only one minute into round two, Gaethje delivered Utah’s second main event head kick finish in less than one year – which is far from your typical ending to an MMA bout.
Many UFC fighters have cited the high altitude as a real issue to fight in when present in Salt Lake City.
The area is more than 4,000 feet above sea level and fighters usually arrive weeks in advance to get accustomed to the elevation.
This may play to Rountree’s advantage on Saturday as he is known for his explosive, one-shot, knockout power.
Raquel Pennington defends her women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event at UFC 307 against no.1 ranked Julianna Pena.
Pena told MMA Junkie this week that it was unnecessary for fighters to arrive early if you’re in the correct shape, so it will be interesting to see how that one plays out.
The card also features Jose Aldo, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Kevin Holland.
