Getty In this screenshot from the RNC’s livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention, UFC President Dana White addresses the virtual convention on August 27, 2020.
UFC aired a misleading promo for the upcoming title fight between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards at UFC Vegas 59.
This past Saturday, former light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos took to the octagon opposite rising star Jamahal Hill in the headlining bout of UFC on ESPN 40 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During the broadcast, the UFC aired promo videos for their upcoming events, including Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz in San Diego and Usman’s long-awaited rematch with Edwards. They also announced the lineup for each card. A graphic accompanied by the main event fighters’ visuals, reflected the timeline of their next few shows.
The promotion made a mistake in the graphic by placing Hill’s photo instead of Edwards for the featured title bout against Usman at UFC 278.
A super fan took a snap of the mishap and tweeted with his prediction: “Leon Edwards via 1st round KO.”
MMA journalist Marcel Dorff wrote, “They really did this #UFCVegas59.”
They really did this 🤣🤣 #UFCVegas59
MMA Mania pointed out the mistake with a sarcastic response: “Jamahal Hill dropping down to welterweight to fight Kamaru Usman for the title.”
Jamahal Hill dropping down to welterweight to fight Kamaru Usman for the title 😤
Another user spotted the same error, tweeting: “I’m glad I’m not the only one who saw this error lmfao if you know you know #UFCVegas59.”
On the bright side, UFC Vegas 59 was a firecracker of a card. The show delivered on every note, being only the second event in the modern UFC era to have every single fight end in a finish. Of the ten fights, seven ended by either knockout or TKO, and three by submission.
Edwards Will Finally Get the Title Shot
Edwards, the second-ranked welterweight contender, will finally get his shot at the gold after beating Nate Diaz in his latest outing in June last year at UFC 263. The 30-year-old Englishman is infamous for having a bit of bad luck, which is why he did not get the title fight sooner.
Having won nine of his last ten outings, “Rocky” has gone undefeated with a no contest ruling coming against Belal Muhammad in Mar. 2021 due to an accidental eye poke. He will be looking to avenge his loss to Usman, which also happens to be his last defeat.
Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad is declared a No Contest.
The reigning 170 lbs champion Usman is on a 15-fight win streak, which makes him the only fighter in the division to have a longer active UFC win streak than Edwards. He’s coming off five successful title defenses against Gilbert Burns and two each with former interim champion Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal.
Hill Continues His Knockout Run at UFC Vegas 59
“Dana White Contender Series” standout Hill has proven to be one of the most exciting prospects. With his win over Santos, he’s now racked up a three-fight win streak, all coming by way of knockout or TKO.
His highlight reel finish of Johnny Walker earlier in February set the right momentum for the confident “Sweet Dreams” to live up to his name.
The Jamahal Hill knockout of Johnny Walker is one one of the most unique I have ever seen. 😳🥴 #UFCVegas48
The 31-year-old Michigan native has only suffered one defeat in his professional career. Paul Craig handed Hill a loss after breaking his arm in a submission. When the referee did not stop the fight after Hill’s arm was broken, Craig secured a TKO victory by elbows and punches in June 2021.
Judging by his performance against Santos, Hill will soon get booked in more higher-level matchups next.