SALT LAKE CITY, UT – AUGUST 19: Merab Dvalishvili weighs in for their UFC 278 bout during the ceremonial weigh-ins on August 19, 2022, at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, UT. (Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire)
Merab Dvalishvili uses his takedown attempts and pressure to gain control over Jose Aldo and score a win over the MMA legend at UFC 278.
In one of the most highly anticipated bouts of UFC 278, Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili ended up being a major flop. But Dvalishvili’s pacing and pressure were enough to earn him the decision victory.
Dvalishvili has now won eight straight and is guaranteed to be a top-five UFC bantamweight come next week. But with his friendship to current champ and teammate Aljamain Sterling, he may not take the title shot.
Merab Dvalishvili scores win at UFC 278 over Jose Aldo in lackluster contender’s battle
Dvalishvili started the fight by giving some pressure on Aldo, targeting Aldo’s body but failing to score on his first two takedown attempts. Aldo finally started to throw his leg kicks and land jabs, but Dvalishvili didn’t back down and returned fire. A third Dvalishvili takedown attempt was answered with a left hook from Aldo, with a knee to the body not too far behind. The two threw wildly in the closing seconds of the first after a fairly quiet round.
Dvalishvili pinned Aldo to the cage wall early in the second. Aldo threw a high kick and hook after breaking free, but Dvalishvili pinned Aldo to the cage again — albeit with a fifth and sixth unsuccessful takedown attempt. Aldo got away from the cage wall again but had to fend off another takedown attempt. Aldo successfully didn’t get taken down at all in the second but didn’t display any effective striking thanks to Dvalishvili’s efforts.
Aldo landed some shots in the third round but continued to let Dvalishvili pressure him and conduct the pace. Dvalishvili came forward with a couple of combinations in the middle of the round. By the end of the fight, Aldo had successfully stuffed 12 of 13 takedown attempts of Dvalishvili, but it was unclear what credit Aldo would get for being so reactionary.
Two judges scored the bout 29-28 for Dvalishvili, while the third scored it 30-27 in his favor.
UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards takes place on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022, live from the Vivint Arena, in Salt Lake City, UT. Follow along with FanSided MMA, who is on site, for all your news and highlights.
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