UFC 278 tipsheet: Nigerian Nightmare to defend his title in Salt Lake City

The Ultimate Fighting Championship roadshow checks in to Salt Lake City with UFC 278 coming from the Vivint Arena. The Nigerian Nightmare Kamaru Usman defends his UFC welterweight championship belt against the challenge of Leon Edwards.

The main attraction promises to be a thrill-a-minute contest, drawing a global audience, but there's plenty to enjoy from the undercard. We pick out the best of the night's action, checking on the latest odds, browsing the various markets and offering our expert predictions.

Usman v Edwards
Sunday, 05:00
Live on BT Sport

Back the champ

UFC welterweight champion Usman makes the latest defence of his title with Edwards, a worthy challenger. The current holder of the belts brings an impressive record detailing 20 wins against one defeat, with half of his victories coming on points, nine by knockout and one submission. Usman is an exciting champion, capable of fighting clever and impressing the judges or relying on his KO power.

Usman's only career defeat came back in 2013 in what was his second outing as a professional MMA fighter. Since losing by submission to Jose Caceres in Florida, Kamaru has enjoyed a long winning streak, eventually winning the title on UFC 235 in 2019 against Tyron Woodley. Usman is priced at 1.321/3 for victory with a second points win on the bounce 2.01/1.

Edwards brings a professional record of 19 wins against three defeats, with 10 by decision, six by KO/TKO and three by submission. He has lost two fights on the scorecards, with the other loss being a disqualification. Those backing the underdog will enjoy the 4.131/10 offered.

Paulo Costa v Luke Rockhold
Sunday, 04:30
Live on BT Sport

Eraser to rub out the competition

Paulo Costa v Luke Rockhold supports the main event at middleweight. Costa is a Brazilian fighter currently ranked at number six in the division, but the 31-year-old knows this is a great opportunity to climb the ladder.

Victory and an impressive performance would shoot Costa into contention for a crack at the middleweight championship, and the Betfair Exchange users expect him to nail the desired result. He's 1.331/3 to win with a points victory catching the eye at 6.411/2.

Rockhold enters the octagon as the underdog for this contest, but he takes encouragement from his opponent, losing each of his last two bouts. Luke is a Californian former light heavyweight with a CV showing 16 wins and five defeats, but he has lost each of his last two and three of four. Rockhold is 3.929/10 for victory, but we don't expect that to attract too much attention.

Jose Aldo v Merab Dvalishvili
Sunday, 04:00
Live on BT Sport

Fight of the night contender

In Aldo v Dvalishvili on the main card, we have one of the most competitive contests on the card and a contender for fight of the night. Aldo is considered by most to be the UFC's greatest featherweight, but at 35 years old, he is slowing and has dropped to number three in the world.

Does the world-famous Brazilian still have the passion and drive to be champion again? That remains to be seen, but we expect his experience to see him through a tough contest on Saturday. Does he have too many more battles left in the tank? Probably not, but he can't be ignored at 2.186/5.

Dvalishvili is a Georgian fighter with a 14-4 record with 10 wins on the scorecards. He lost two bouts back to back in 2017 and 2018 but is unbeaten since, scoring seven wins on the bounce. Another victory - the biggest of his career - is 1.824/5.