Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2 purse, salaries: How much money will they make at UFC 278?
Kamaru Usman’s road to establishing himself as one of the all-time greats will be put to the test on August 20th. Usman defends the UFC welterweight title in a rematch against Leon Edwards at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Usman defends the title for the sixth time. He meets Edwards in a rematch from a 2015 matchup that he won by unanimous decision. After the August 20 fight, Usman will focus on the light heavyweight division and the UFC light heavyweight title. Usman, 35, is poised to be the first champion to fight for light heavyweight gold since UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya faced then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in 2021.
“After Leon Edwards, we’ve got our focus on (light heavyweight), whether it’s Jan or Jiri, whoever it is, that’s what we want,” Edwards once told TMZ Sports of Bloody Elbow.
“I want to prove to the world that there’s a reason they say pound for pound. That means pound for pound, any time, any moment, any weight, I can go in there and not just hold my ground, I can be victorious. I want to be able to prove that.”
The current champion is Jiri Prochazka, who beat Glover Teixeira for the title.
Usman has 19 consecutive wins, beating Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice) and Gilbert Burns to retain the welterweight title. The final fight of “The Nigerian Nightmare” was a unanimous decision win over Covington in November.
MORE: Sign in to watch the UFC 278 PPV exclusively on ESPN+
Edwards joined the UFC in 2014. He last fought in June 2021, beating Nate Diaz at UFC 263. Since losing to Usman, “Rocky” has gone 9-0 by a no-contest.
The Sporting News looks at the history of the two fighters and what they could earn at UFC 278.
Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2 fight for purse, prize money
The official UFC 278 wallet hasn’t been announced yet, but previous payouts for Usman and Edwards could help provide some insight into how much they’ll make.
MORE: UFC 278 date, start time, odds, PPV schedule and card for Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2
According to The Sports Daily, Usman earned $72,500 when he won The Ultimate Fighter in 2015. When he beat Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title in 2019, Usman made about $380,000. The most he’s earned in a title fight was in 2021 when he earned $692,000 in a rematch against Jorge Masvidal. In his last fight against Colby Covington in November, Usman made $642,000.
In repeated bouts, Usman earned a combined $1,332,000 against Masvidal and $1,232,000 against Covington. These numbers also include fight night incentive bonuses.
Edwards earned $66,000 in his UFC debut in 2015, according to The Sports Daily. Edwards earned $118,000 when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos in 2019. When a 2020 fight against Tyron Woodley was nullified due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Edwards was able to bring home $20,000.
When he went against Belal Muhammad again, Edwards made $120,000. His highest payday came against Nate Diaz, who earned $231,000.
What is Kamaru Usman net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Usman’s net worth is around $3 million. This follows a base salary of over $600,000 as well as endorsements. It was recently announced that Usman will star in Black Panther 2.
Compared to other UFC champions, doubles champion Amanda Nunes has a net worth of about $4 million. Israel Adesanya also has a net worth of around $4 million. Alexander Volkanovski net worth is approximately $2 million.
What is Leon Edwards net worth?
According to Sports Zion, Edwards has a net worth of approximately $1.5 million.
MORE: 2022 MMA schedule: Date, division, location for upcoming fights
When is UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards 2?
- Date: Saturday, August 20th
- FIGHT PASS preliminary round: 6 p.m. ET
- Front matter: 8 p.m. ET
- Main card: 10 p.m. ET
- Main event: 12:15 am ET (approximately)
UFC 278 takes place on August 20th. The FIGHT PASS Prelims begin at approximately 6:00 p.m. ET. Prelims will go live at 8:00 p.m. ET and the main card will begin at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN + PPV. Usman and Edwards were scheduled to make their way to the octagon around 12:15 p.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
How to watch UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2
- TV Channel: ESPN+
- Live Stream: ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass
The main card for UFC 278 is available in the US and Mexico through subscription streaming service ESPN+ for a pay-per-view cost. Sign up now to watch UFC 278 exclusively on ESPN+.
Past fights can be viewed live on ESPN+, the WatchESPN app, and for early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
In Canada, the main pay-per-view card is available at TSN, Bell, Rogers, Shaw, Eastlink and UFC PPV in UFC Fight Pass.
In the UK, the main map will be available on BT Sport and the preliminary rounds on UFC Fight Pass.
In Australia, the main card will be on Main Event, Kayo Sports, FOXTEL and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.
Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2 price: How much is UFC 278?
- $74.99 (current ESPN+ subscribers)
- $99.98 (new subscribers)
In the US, the UFC 278 main card is available via pay-per-view on ESPN+, which also requires a subscription. UFC 278 PPV price is $74.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay a $99.98 bundle price for UFC 278 pay-per-view and an annual ESPN+ subscription that offers savings of more than 30 percent.
MORE: Sign in to watch the UFC 278 PPV exclusively on ESPN+
| product | Prices |
|---|---|
| Monthly ESPN+ subscription | $9.99/month |
| ESPN+ annual subscription | $99.99/year |
| The Disney bundle with ad-supported Hulu | $13.99/month |
| The Disney Bundle with Hulu No-Ads | $19.99/month |
| UFC PPV Standalone | $74.99 each |
| UFC PPV Package (UFC PPV & ESPN+ Annual) | $99.98, then $69.99/year |
| UFC PPV and the Disney Bundle |
$88.98 then $13.99/month |
Click here to learn more about the different pricing and bundle options on the ESPN+ platform.
* Effective August 23, ESPN+ monthly subscription will change from $6.99/month to $9.99/month. Annual ESPN+ subscription package changes from $69.99/year to $99.99/year.
There is no change to the standalone PPV or the Disney bundle.
UFC 278 fight card
main card
- Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards for the UFC Welterweight Title
- Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili; bantam weights
- Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold; medium weight
- Marcin Tybura vs Alexandr Romanov; heavyweights
- Tyson Pedro versus Harry Hunsucker; Light heavyweights
front matter
- Leonardo Santos vs. Jared Gordon; lightweights
- Wu Yanan versus Lucie Pudilova; bantam weights
- Sean Woodson vs. Luis Saldana; featherweights
FIGHT PASS preliminary rounds
- AJ Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa; welterweights
- Amir Albazi versus Francisco Figueiredo; flyweights
- Aori Qileng versus Jay Perrin; bantam weights
- Daniel Lacerda versus Victor Altamirano; flyweights
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