UFC 278: Kamaru Usman Taken to Hospital After Brutal Head Kick in Loss to Leon Edwards [Reactions and Updates]

Kamaru Usman received one of the most brutal kicks in UFC history in the hands of opponent Leon Edwards. It happened at UFC 278, where Usman defended his UFC welterweight title belt against Edwards in a rematch of their 2015 fight, which Usman previously won.

This was supposed to be Usman's sixth title defense, and it looked like he was going to win it too. However, in the closing seconds of the bout, the Nigerian-born fighter ate a brutal head kick from Edwards.

It happened less than a minute before the bell was supposed to ring in Round 5. The match ended Kamaru Usman's 19-fight winning streak, as Leon Edwards improved to 20-3 (1 NC) and captured the UFC Welterweight title.

According to CBS Sports, this is his first loss in nine years.

Kamaru Usman Taken Straight to the Hospital After Brutal Knock Out in UFC 278

While Kamaru Usman was still up as referee Herb Dean raised Leon Edwards' hand, he was immediately taken to the hospital afterward, the Mirror reported. However, the now-former UFC Welterweight Champion looked to be okay.

In fact, Usman seemed somewhat optimistic, even after that brutal loss. Usman tweeted that even champions "f$ck up sometimes," and added that he seeks to bounce back soon and come back with a vengeance.

With Usman winning their first fight and Edwards winning their second one, UFC president Dana White is looking to have a rubber match between the two fighters.

During the post-fight press conference, White said he wanted a trilogy between the two and suggested it should happen in England at Wembley Stadium.

As for Edwards, he wasn't very happy with his performance, even though he came out of as the winner. The new UFC Welterweight champion described his performance as his "worst performance out there."

He added that he did not feel good, even though he managed to knock out the pound-for-pound champion. He said his body was not reacting like he wanted it to react.

UFC Fighters React to Leon Edwards Knocking Out Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman came in as the clear favorite in the fight, and with less than a minute left, it looked like he was about to win it until he got kicked right in the button.

This shocked many in the arena, who were expecting the pound-for-found to win convincingly as usual.

The camera panned out to see the reactions of those in the front row, including many other MMA fighters such as Rashad Evans, Justin Gaethje, Henry Cejudo, Gilbert Burns, Brandon Moreno, and Ali Abdelaziz.

However, the one who seemed to be enjoying the knockout the most was Usman's arch nemesis, Colby Covington.

A video surfaced of the welterweight fighter visibly saying "wow" at a watch party. He was also not expecting his arch nemesis to lose in such a brutal fashion.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Leon Edwards Octagon Interview | UFC 278 - From UFC