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Leon Edwards shocked the world with a stunning fifth-round head-kick knockout of Kamaru Usman in the UFC 278 headliner in Salt Lake City this past weekend. For his efforts, the British fighter took home an extra $50,000 courtesy of a Performance of the Night bonus.
However, fans were enraged after learning that Edwards did not earn the $30k Crypto.com bonus. Earlier this year, UFC, along with Crypto.com, introduced Fan Bonus of the Night honors, which are decided through fan votes. It features three bitcoin bonuses that are awarded to three fighters on every UFC pay-per-view card.
At the UFC 278 card, Paulo Costa garnered the most fan votes, which earned him $30K, followed by Kamaru Usman ($20K) and Jose Aldo ($10K).
Taking to Twitter, fans expressed their confusion, with one user calling it "nonsense."
Others also vented their anger at the system, with one user criticizing the fact that fans are allowed to vote for fighters before the fights are over.
Leon Edwards, who came into the fight as a heavy underdog, was behind on the cards before scoring a stunning last-minute knockout. Perhaps had voting opened post-event, 'Rocky' would have been rewarded with a crypto.com bonus.
Dana White interested in trilogy fight between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman in UK
Both Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman boast a win over the other after their latest clash at UFC 278 this past Saturday. UFC president Dana White now expects to see the pair collide in a trilogy bout.
During the post-fight press conference, White hinted that it will only be a matter of time before the two welterweights meet for a third time. The UFC chief also expressed interest in organizing the meeting at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
However, White also showed some apprenhension in hosting stadium events in the UK due to the unpredictable weather.
“I don’t think he [Edwards] would have to sit and wait anyway due to the knockout. He wouldn’t have to wait that long. You’d have to go back into camp and start training again anyway. First of all, we’d have to have the date. We’re booked up all the way to; I think we’re booked up into January now. So, yeah, there’ll be no waiting for him, even if it’s a rematch.”
Catch Dana White's interaction with the media at the UFC 278 post-fight presser below:
Kamaru Usman entered the fight against Leon Edwards with the second-longest win streak in the promotion's history and was on his way to a sixth straight successful defense of the title until the KO.
The Nigerian-American certainly has a strong case for an immediate third fight against the newly-crowned champion.
