UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2 Fight Card, Betting Odds & Date

UFC on ESPN 41 was an absolute hit over the weekend, leaving MMA fans across the globe entertained beyond belief. However, there isn’t much time to rest as UFC 278 is slated to invade Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Usman vs. Edwards 2 to Headline UFC 278

Even though there are many fights to look forward to this weekend, most fans have their eyes set on the second clash between UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman and his challenger, Leon Edwards.

The two welterweights previously met nearly seven years ago at UFC on Fox 17. It was quite the hard-fought battle, resulting in a unanimous decision victory for Usman. That was on the early preliminary card, though, and now it’s time for the duo to main event a pay-per-view together.

Nevertheless, there’s always a lot to take in whenever a UFC PPV is coming up. Fortunately, the latest BetOnline Sportsbook odds help paint a picture of how the night may unfold.

UFC 278 Event Details

When is UFC 278?

UFC 278 will take place on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022.

Where is UFC 278?

UFC 278 will take place at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.

What time does UFC 278 start?

• UFC 278 Early Prelims Start Time: 6 p.m. ET
• UFC 278 Prelims Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Start Time of UFC 278’s Main Card: 10 p.m. ET

How can I watch UFC 278?

The early prelims will be available on UFC Fight Pass, while the prelims will be available on both ESPN and ESPN+, and the main card will be available via pay-per-view (which can be ordered through the ESPN+ app).

UFC 278 Main Card and Odds (Odds as of Monday, Aug. 15)

The UFC 278 odds listed below are via BetOnline Sportsbook.

UFC 278 Main Event: Kamaru Usman (-390) vs. Leon Edwards (+280)

Usman (20-1) is one of the most dominant forces that MMA has ever seen. Winning 19 consecutive fights ahead of UFC 278, it isn’t tough to see why the champion is the heavy favorite to retain his title over Edwards (19-3, 1NC).

Since winning the welterweight championship at UFC 235, Usman has gone on to have five successful defenses, knocking out the likes of Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal along the way. He was named ‘Performer of the Night’ twice over that stretch, further proving his dominance.

On the other hand, since losing to Usman, Edwards has won nine of his last 10 bouts. The other fight in that stretch ended in a no-contest when he accidentally poked Belal Muhammad’s eye. Nevertheless, that stretch proves that he’s turned things around.

Having said that, it’ll still be an upward battle for the challenger. Edwards hasn’t been nearly as dominant as Usman, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can make things closer than the last time these two collided.

UFC 278 Co-Main Event: Paulo Costa (-310) vs. Leon Edwards (+230)

Fans will be treated to a middleweight co-main event between Paulo Costa (13-2) and Luke Rockhold (16-5) at UFC 278.

Costa was a perfect 13-0 in his career before challenging for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 253 Unfortunately, the Brazilian combatant suffered a TKO loss to Israel Adesanya in Round 2. Costa then attempted to transition to the light heavyweight devision, only to lose unanimously to Marvin Vettori.

Meanwhile, Rockhold is making his UFC return following a three-year absence due to injury. Time will tell if he’s ready to bounce back after being knocked out in three of his last four fights — including when he lost the middleweight championship to Michael Bisping at UFC 199.

Bantamweight: José Aldo (-102) vs. Merab Dvalishvili (-125)

In one of this week’s closer bouts, former two-time UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo (31-7) goes one-on-one with Merab Dvalishvili (14-4).

After a stretch that saw him lose five of seven fights, it appears that Aldo is back. The 35-year-old veteran has since won three outings in a row, all occurring by going the distance and winning by unanimous decision.

Dvalishvili should provide a test for Aldo, though. The Tbilisi, Georgia native is on a seven-fight winning streak and showing no signs of slowing down. Six of those wins came by decision, which could be bad news for Aldo, who’s 3-2 in his last five fights that went the distance.

Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura (+255) vs. Alexander Romanov (-350)

Two heavyweights looking to crack the top 10 will clash at UFC 278 when No. 11 Marcin Tybura (22-7) takes on No. 13 Alexander Romanov (16-0).

Tybura enters this fight as the clear-cut underdog following a unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkov back in October 2021. He was on a five-fight winning streak before then, but clearly, oddsmakers have their doubts about him returning to that level on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Romanov has yet to be defeated in his MMA career. The dominant Maldovan has destroyed every opponent that the UFC has placed in front of him, winning three of his five fights in the promotion by submission, as well as a TKO victory over Jared Vanderaa.

Light Heavyweight: Tyson Pedro (-900) vs. Harry Hunsucker (+520)

In one of the most lopsided UFC 278 matchups, Tyson Pedro (8-3) looks to make a name for himself against Harry Hunsucker (7-5).

Pedro’s MMA career has been up and down, starting off 6-0 before losing three of the next four fights. However, he did score an impressive KO victory over Ike Villanueva in April, so it remains to be seen how he follows that up.

On the other hand, there isn’t much of a reason to like Hunsucker here. The 33-year-old is 0-3 in his first three UFC fights, losing each of those bouts via first-round knockout.

UFC 278 Preliminary Card

Lightweight: Leonardo Santos (+250) vs. Jared Gordon (-340)

Leonardo Santos (18-5-1) and Jared Gordon (18-5) are set to meet in a lightweight matchup at UFC 278.

There was a point where Santos went 12-0-1 over a 13-fight run, however, he’s since lost back-to-back bouts to Grant Dawson and Clay Guida. Meanwhile, Gordon is also looking to bounce back following his own submission loss to Dawson back in April. He’d won three straight fights before that, leaving time to tell if he can get that momentum back.

Women’s Bantamweight: Wu Yanan (+128) vs. Lucie Pudilová (-164)

In one of the two women’s fights that fans will be treated to, Wu Yanan (12-5) goes toe-to-toe with Lucie Pudilová (13-7).

Wu’s UFC run hasn’t gone the way she planned, going 1-4 in five fights. All four of her losses came by going the distance, which doesn’t bode well for her on Saturday. After all, Pudilová is 5-1 in her last six matchups, achieving each of those victories by decision (four unanimously).

Featherweight: Sean Woodson (-340) vs. Luis Saldaña (+250)

The sole featherweight fight at UFC 278 pits Sean Woodson (9-1) against Luis Saldaña (16-7).

Losing only once in his career, Woodson has been building himself up in UFC. He’s 4-1 in the promotion, tallying a first-round TKO victory over Collin Anglin in his last performance.

Although he’s the underdog here, Saldaña hasn’t been too shabby lately either. He’s 6-1 in his last seven fights, with his most recent outing ending in a unanimous decision win over Bruno Souza.

Women’s Flyweight: Miranda Maverick (-500) vs. Shanna Young (+340)

In the most lopsided women’s fight taking place at UFC 278, Miranda Maverick (10-4) looks to continue her winning ways against Shanna Young (8-4).

Maverick snapped a two-fight losing streak with a submission win over Sabina Mazo in March. She won five outings in a row prior to those losses, meaning she’ll do what she can to get back to those winning ways.

While Young is coming off a TKO win in her last outing, she lost three of four previous fights before then. With Maverick being a submission expert and Young having tapped out before, the latter must bring her A-game to survive her upcoming bout.

UFC 278 Early Prelims Card

Welterweight: A.J. Fletcher (-340) vs. Ange Loosa (+250)

A pair of welterweights — A.J. Fletcher (9-1) and Ange Loosa (8-3) — look to make names for themselves when they meet at UFC 278.

Fletcher began his career 9-0 before losing by unanimous decision to Matthew Semelsberger back in March. He looks to gain momentum against Loosa, who’s gone 2-3 in his last five matches, losing each of those bouts by some form of decision.

Flyweight: Francisco Figueiredo (+300) vs. Amir Albazi (-430)

Fans will be treated to one of two scheduled flyweight contests when Francisco Figueiredo (13-4-1, 1NC) meets Amir Albazi (14-1) in the octagon.

Figueiredo is 2-1 since joining UFC, looking to pick up from where he left off after being named ‘Performer of the Night’ after his submission win over Daniel Lacerda at UFC on ESPN 35. He’ll have his work cut out for him against Albazi, who’s made opponents submit in eight of his 14 victories and has also won three straight fights.

Bantamweight: Aori Qileng (-180) vs. Jay Perrin (+140)

A second men’s bantamweight bout pits Aori Qileng (23-11) against Jay Perrin (10-5) at Vivint Arena in just a few days.

A former WLF Bantamweight Champion, Aori debuted in UFC as a featherweight in April 2021 before going 0-2. He returned to bantamweight nearly four months ago to better results, snagging a first-round TKO win over Cameron Else.

Unfortunately, Perrin knows what it feels like to lose his UFC debut. He went the distance with Mario Bautista back in February, only to lose unanimously.

Flyweight: Daniel Lacerda (+164) vs. Victor Altamirano (-215)

As UFC 278 approaches, Daniel Lacerda (11-3) hopes to turn things around against Victor Altamirano (10-2). Though Larceda’s record is solid, he’s been knocked out and submitted in each of his last two fights.

On the flip side, Altamirano is also searching for a victory to change his fortunes for a skid begins. The 31-year-old has gone the distance in each of his first two UFC fights, defeating Carlos Candelario by split decision before losing to Carlos Hernandez in the same manner.