In the main event of UFC 278, a welterweight rematch takes place as Kamaru Usman looks to defend his belt as he takes on Leon Edwards. The card takes place on Saturday, August 20 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
UFC 278 Opening Odds:
Kamaru Usman -300
Leon Edwards +250
Current UFC 278 Odds (July 14):
Kamaru Usman -340
Leon Edwards +270
Usman and Edwards’ recent fights
Kamaru Usman (20-1) had a very active 2021 as he defended his title three times as he kicked off the year in February with a third-round TKO over Gilbert Burns. He then returned in April and knocked out Jorge Masvidal in the second-round and then beat Colby Covington by decision at UFC 268. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ won the belt by decision against Tyron Woodley at UFC 235 and has defended his belt five times but four defenses have came against Masvidal and Covington as he beat them both twice. Usman also holds notable wins over Edwards, Sean Strickland, Rafael dos Anjos, and Demian Maia.
Leon Edwards (19-3) is coming off a decision win over Nate Diaz back at UFC 263 in June of 2021. He was booked to fight Jorge Masvidal at UFC 269 but ‘Gamebred’ was forced out of the bout. Prior to that, he had the No Contest against Belal Muhammad due to an accidental eye poke. The Brit is currently 10-fight unbeaten streak and his last loss was a decision loss to Usman in 2015.
Are the odds surprising?
I’m surprised by the odds due to the fact Leon Edwards is a bigger underdog than Jorge Masvidal was in both of his fights as well as Gilbert Burns was. Edwards, meanwhile, was a massive favorite when he was booked against Masvidal, and I know MMA Math doesn’t work but it is surprising to see Edwards be this big of an underdog, especially with Usman coming off a major hand injury that caused this fight to be delayed.
How might the odds change?
Money immediately came in on Usman to get him around that -350 favorite and although come fight night when casual bettors place their bets, I do expect a lot of action on Usman in parlays because he is the champ and main event, I think we will see action on Edwards at this price. The Brit is very well-rounded and can pose a ton of problems for the champ on the feet, especially if he can stuff the takedowns. By the time the two make the walk to the Octagon, I expect Usman to be around a -325 favorite.
