LIVE! UFC 278 Results & Play-By-Play!

UFC 278 live stream results, play-by-play updates: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards rematch takes center stage TONIGHT (Sat., Aug. 20, 2022) inside Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, a five-round welterweight title fight that will see “The Nigerian Nightmare” defend his 170-pound strap against longtime nemesis Leon Edwards. Before that clash of styles gets underway in “The Beehive State,” former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold looks to turn back the clock against Brazilian bruiser and one-time title challenger Paulo Costa. In addition, ex-featherweight champion Jose Aldo takes on bantamweight wrestling powerhouse Merab Dvalishvili, a 15-minute contest with serious title implications for the 135-pound division. Veteran bangers Wu Yanan, Lucie Pudilova, Tyson Pedro and Harry Hunsucker round out the ESPN+ main card PPV action.


LIVE! Watch UFC 278 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

BLOCKBUSTER WELTERWEIGHT REMATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sat., Aug. 20, 2022, for the first time in more than five years, headlined by a blockbuster Welterweight championship bout that will see Kamaru Usman run it back with No. 2-ranked contender, Leon Edwards. In UFC 278’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, No. 4-seeded Middleweight contender, Paulo Costa, aims to spoil the return of former 185-pound champion, Luke Rockhold. And last but not least, former Featherweight champion and all-time great, Jose Aldo, returns to Bantamweight action, too!

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 278 fight card below, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Usman vs. Edwards 2.” Without further delay, see below for the latest UFC 278 results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)

UFC 278 QUICK RESULTS:

Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards
Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold
Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Wu Yanan vs. Lucie Pudilova
Tyson Pedro vs. Harry Hunsucker
Marcin Tybura vs. Alexandr Romanov
Leonardo Santos vs. Jared Gordon — Gordon def. Santos via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Luis Saldana vs. Sean Woodson — Split draw (27-29, 29-27, 28-28)
A.J. Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa — Loosa def. Fletcher via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28 x2)
Amir Albazi vs. Francisco Figueiredo — Albazi def. Figueiredo via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:34 of Round One
Aori Qileng vs. Jay Perrin — Qileng def. Perrin via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
Victor Altamirano vs. Daniel Da Silva — Altamirano def. da Silva via technical knockout (strikes) in round one — HIGHLIGHTS

UFC 278 LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:

170 lbs.: UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Final result:


185 lbs.: Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Final result:


135 lbs.: Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Final result:


135 lbs.: Wu Yanan vs. Lucie Pudilova

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Final result:


205 lbs.: Tyson Pedro vs. Harry Hunsucker

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Final result:


265 lbs.: Marcin Tybura vs. Alexandr Romanov

Round 1: Romanov ties up early and takes Tybura to the fence. Can’t get the outside trip, elects to just slam him instead. Tybura on his knees, trying to work his way up. One minute in. Stuck on one knee against the fence. Romanov staying heavy, lands a series of short right hands. Tybura gets to his feet two minutes in. Romanov holding onto the body lock, drives knees into the thighs. Geeze, these look like they hurt. Another high-amplitude slam by Romanov. Two minutes to go.

Romanov landing good punches as Tybura tries to rise. Tybura waits it out on one knee. One minute to go. Romanov maintains control, continues to land punches. Knees to the thigh. 10-9 Romanov.

Round 2: Tybura denies an attempt to tie up. Spinning elbow by Romanov, counter elbow by Tybura. Romanov takes him to the fence. They separate a minute in. Lead right from Tybura. Overhand left falls short. Overhand left lands for Romanov, who eats a body kick in return. Hard left by Tybura, his best of the fight two minutes in. Good right hook by Romanov, shoots, denied. Tybura pops him with a jab, then lands a low blow soon after. 1-2-1 connects, Romanov comes back with hard lefts and an unsuccessful shot. Two minutes to go.

Romanov slips throwing a kick and ends up on his back. North-south for Tybura. Side control. Romanov holding on as Tybura lands short punches to the body. One minute to go. Romanov turns to his knees and Tybura takes the back. Romanov slips out and drops punches before attempting a last-second choke. 10-9 Tybura.

Round 3:

Final result:


155 lbs.: Leonardo Santos vs. Jared Gordon

Round 1: Gordon tries a 2-1. Tentative start. One minute in. Silva falls short with a body kick. Hard low kick lands for him. Ref pauses to warn Santos about keeping his fingers extended. Two minutes in. Gordon tries to blitz, eats a knee to the body coming in. Two-piece falls short, jabs and low kick do not. Good little blitz with two minutes to go.

Santos trying to catch him coming in with knees and elbows. Some heavy kicks from him, eats an overhand right inside. Gordon much busier with his hands, nice low-high two-piece. Vicious flurry to the body and head against the fence with a minute to go. Clinch. More body work by Gordon, knee from Santos. Gordon keeping the pressure on, striking in the clinch. 10-9 Gordon.

Round 2: Low kicks from Gordon. Solid knee by Santos. Gordon ties up and hauls him to the fence. Separation, back in, separation. Clinch knee from Santos a minute in. They’re working well for him so far, but Gordon’s landing all the good punches. More brief clinches. Gordon flurry, Santos head kick attempt. Nasty elbow by Santos as he eats punches two minutes in. Santos blasts in with a shot and wraps up the body lock. Looking to pull Gordon down to take the back. Gordon turns to face him and presses him against the fence. Knees to the thigh. Two minutes to go.

Body work from Gordon. He’s doing a nice job of getting just a little space and landing a few shots to the gut before tying back up. Separation with a minute to go. Again Gordon enters with punches, absorbing a knee on the way. Separation. Solid cross by Santos, who looks like he’s starting to feel the pace. Gordon marches after him until the bell. 10-9 Gordon.

Round 3: Santos lands a low kick, eats an overhand right. Low kicks from Gordon. Lead right downstairs. One minute in. Gordon continuing to push forward. Flurry on the fence. Santos not offering a whole lot in return. Trading jabs. Two minutes in. Another flurry from Gordon. Santos’ only consistent offense has been his knees inside and those are getting rarer. Gordon digs another body shot as he enters the clinch and continues to go to work with short punches. Nice right downstairs, then another and some head shots behind it. Two minutes to go.

Gordon just marching after him, slams another right to the midsection and clinches. Punches on the break. Another right body shot into the clinch. He’s in cruise control. Well-timed double-leg by Santos, can’t drive through. Gordon landing punches from sprawl position with a minute to go. Hammerfists piling up. Santos gets him to the fence, tries to spin, eats punches at the bell. 10-9 Gordon.

Final result: Gordon def. Santos via unanimous decision


145 lbs.: Luis Saldana vs. Sean Woodson

Round 1: Trading kicks at a distance to start. Nobody landing clean yet. Woodson tries a 1-2 behind a spin. One minute in. Saldana to the body, trips him up with a low kick. Woodson stalking. Saldana catches a kick, can’t use it, lands a low kick. Check left hook and body kick. Woodson lands a jab, absorbs a spinning back fist, lands a body kick two minutes in. Straight left. Low kick by Saldana. Check hook. He’s moving well so far, eats a body kick, then appears to knock Woodson senseless with a check hook. Saldana tries a walkoff, but Woodson makes it to his feet, clearly still affected. Another jab sends Woodson to the mat, and a taunting Saldana runs in and blasts him with an illegal knee before knocking him unconscious with punches. The ref pauses and, unbelievably, lets Woodson continue, electing to just take a point. Two minutes to go.

More kicks from Saldana, Woodson still advancing. Woodson punches into the clinch. Saldana tries an elbow on the break. Low kick, left hook. One minute to go. Low kick trips Woodson up. Saldana tries a Superman punch off the cage. 9-9.

Round 2: Body kick from Saldana. Low kicks. His movement still looks good. Body kick, counter right. One minute in. Jab from Woodson lands well. Clean 1-2, his first major connection of the fight. Saldana spins, falls short, lands a combo. Low kick. Woodson sends out volleys, doesn’t land clean. Two minutes in. Saldana loads up, can’t connect. Low kick. Body kick blocked. Nice double-leg puts Saldana on top in guard. Two minutes to go.

Woodson tries an omoplata, then wraps up a buggy choke when Saldana takes side control. One minute to go. I mean, 10-9 Woodson? Striking was close this round and he had Saldana in a submission for two full minutes.

Round 3: Woodson continuing to advance. Solid left hand after eating low kicks. Nice jabs. Clean straight left. Cross counter to combination a minute in. Reactive shot from Saldana, eats elbows, gets the body lock. Woodson holding onto a kimura grip. Saldana tries a spinning back fist on the break two minutes in. Counter right by Woodson. Another level change by Saldana, lands a knee before separating. Both land combos. Two minutes to go.

Low kick by Saldana. Woodson counter right, jab upstairs. More Saldana low kicks. They trade rear hands. More Saldana low kicks, counters from Woodson. Saldana shoots, denied. One minute to go. Saldana tries to spin again. Both connect with right hands, then lefts. Looping uppercut by Saldana, tries to spin again. Woodson counters a takedown, then grabs a front headlock. 10-9 Woodson? Not a lot of clean hits but he landed them.

Final result: Split draw


170 lbs.: A.J. Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa

Round 1: Solid 1-2 from Fletcher. Loosa low kick and jab. Hard right cross by Fletcher, then an elbow behind it. One minute in. Wheel kick attempt just misses. Loosa answers with a leg kick. Check hook by Fletcher, eats a body kick in return. Loosa shoots, denied. Uppercut and front kick land for Fletcher, then a counter right to answer a body kick. He’s looking sharp tonight. Two minutes in. Nice body shot by Loosa, low kick soon after. Fletcher lands his own body shots. Another right downstairs. Head kick attempts from both. Hard right downstairs lands for Fletcher. Two minutes to go.

Jab-elbow attempt, Loosa looks for his own level elbow. Body jab. Fletcher sneaks in a head kick as Loosa throws. Body kick met by a Loosa body shot. Big right cross from Loosa, then another that rattles Fletcher. Fletcher appears to get his wits back, absorbs another two clean right hands not long after. One minute to go. Loosa starting to open up, answers a body kick with more right hands and puts him on the fence. Knee and right hand by Loosa on the break. 1-2, then another heavy right cross. Uppercut to takedown at the bell. 10-9 Loosa.

Round 2: Fletcher low kick, Loosa right hands. Loosa just can’t miss with that punch right now. Now as a jab. He’s really found his groove but Fletcher’s still coming. Nice exchanges a minute in. Loosa 1-1-2. Fletcher body shot. Continuing to trade at close range. Both land good body kicks and Loosa responds with a takedown. Good scramble by Fletcher to get back to his feet two minutes in. Clean rights from both, Loosa getting the better of it. Continuing to land well. Fletcher marching through all of it. There’s some nice pocket work by Fletcher. Two minutes to go.

Fletcher suddenly finds momentum and Loosa’s reeling. Fletcher emptying the tank against the fence. Loosa somehow manages to survive and fights off a level change. One minute to go. Front headlock for Loosa. Stalemate. Short right hands from Loosa. 10-9 Fletcher.

Round 3: Fletcher looks like the more tired of the two. He slips throwing a kick, tries to shoot, denied. Shots from Loosa on the way up. 1-2. Combinations landing. Fletcher shoots a minute in, no dice. Loosa pounding from turtle, takes half guard after an ugly roll attempt. Brutal elbows. Fletcher’s completely gassed. Loosa settles down, continues to chip away from half guard. Two minutes to go.

More hard shots by Loosa. Not looking for the finish, just continuing to work. Fletcher tries to sit up but he’s got nothing left with a minute to go. This continues until the bell. 10-8 Loosa.

Final result: Loosa def. Fletcher via unanimous decision


125 lbs.: Amir Albazi vs. Francisco Figueiredo

Round 1: Figueiredo opens with body kicks. Keeping Albazi at bay early. More low kicks, more body kicks. One minute in. Albazi catches an inside low kick for a takedown into guard. Solid elbow, looking for half guard against the fence. Figueiredo regains guard. Elbow by Albazi two minutes in. He briefly considers an arm triangle before Figueiredo regains guard again. Brutal right hands by Albazi, but Figueiredo uses the opportunity to stand. Albazi tries an inside trip, denied. Two minutes to go.

Stiff jab by Figueiredo, then a straight left. Albazi ties up and puts him on the fence, then takes him down despite Figueiredo grabbing the fence. On top in half guard. Figueiredo turns for a leg, no dice. Albazi looking for the back with a minute to go. One hook in and he immediately wraps up the RNC to force the tap.

Final result: Albazi def. Figueiredo via submission (rear naked choke)


135 lbs.: Aori Qileng vs. Jay Perrin

Round 1: Qileng opens with a low kick the misses, with Perrin countering with a front kick. Perrin tries another front kick and Qileng catches it, with Perrin rolling backward to break free. Nice shot to the body from Perrin, with Qileng trying to initiate a clinch but it wasn’t there. Overhand right from Qileng finds a home, then a counter left hook that wobbled Perrin. Qileng trying to pour it on with a flying knee, but Perrin grabs him and turns him into the fence, giving him time to recover. Qileng gets off the fence, then drills him with a nice uppercut on the break. Big left, then another over hand right from Qileng that did some damage. Low kick from Perrin, with a hard right hand from Qileng and then a hard low kick from the Mongolian. Left hook from Qileng, who seems to be finding his rhythm. Perrin could sense it and scored a nice takedown with about 20 seconds to go in the round. 10-9 Qileng.

Round 2: Both fighters come out swinging to start the second, with Qileng drilling that overhand right then a flying knee that Perrin somehow ate without buckling. Qileng launched a kick along the fence, which Perrin caught and turned into a takedown. Working from half guard, Perrin landing rabbit punches to Qileng’s face. Qileng was able to get into full guard and start to work his way up the fence. On the restart, Qileng kept firing that overhand right, which he drilled Perrin with repeatedly. Perrin waived it off like they didn’t hurt, a clear sign that they did. Low kick from Qileng, with Perrin getting deep on a double-leg takedown in transition, but he was unable to get it to the ground. Perrin with a nice elbow on the break, then a hard left hand, with Qileng countering with that right hand. 10-9 Perrin, but it was real close.

Round 3: Hard right from Qileng to start the third and final frame, with Perrin showing a sense of urgency straight out the gate. He mushed Qileng up against the fence and unloaded some hard elbow upstairs. Both fighters miss with high kicks. Nice left hook from Perrin, but a better overhand right from Qileng right after. Perrin with a solid combination, which he turned into a sweet takedown, but Qileng got right back up to his feet. Perrin doing some nice work with knees to the body along the cage, angling for another takedown, which he got, sorta, briefly before Qileng was back up on his feet. Another nice elbow from Perrin in the clinch, and another, as Qileng seems to be content to just stand with his back up against the fence. One minute two go and both fighters started to swang and bang in the middle of the Octagon. Nice spinning backfist from Perrin, then a front kick that sucked the wind out of a visibly-winded Qileng. With 15 seconds to go, both fighters just said screw it and went Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em robots until the final bell. A more clear round for Perrin 10-9. Will come down to round two on the judges scorecards.

Final result: Qileng def. Perrin via unanimous decision (29-28×3)


125 lbs.: Victor Altamirano vs. Daniel Da Silva

Round 1: Both fighters touch gloves and we are off, with Altamirano attacking early with a flying strike. The pair trade hard shots in the middle of the cage and we are off. da Silva connects with a huge right hand that drops Altamirano, he followed it up with another shot but he popped off the canvas like toast. da Silva chasing Altamirano, who appears still a little shook from the shots he’s eaten. Big body shot from Altamirano folds da Silva, most likely a liver shot. He weathers some major ground-and-pound, threatens with an armbar to escape danger. Altamirano starts to unload with hard elbows from top position, with da Silva trying to submit him off his back but it’s not working. da Silva is now a bloody mess as Altamirano continues to pour it on. The referee continues to warn da Silva, and after about 100 unanswered strikes, the referee finally steps in to stop it. da Silva was looking good until the liver shot, then Altamirano was just too much to fend off from the top.

Final result: Altamirano def. da Silva via technical knockout (strikes) in round one


To check out the latest and greatest UFC 278: “Usman vs. Edwards 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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