Tag: UFC 278

Merab Dvalishvili explains why he was ‘shocked’ by UFC 278 matchup vs. Jose Aldo

UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili did not expect to be fighting former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

SALT LAKE CITY – UFC bantamweight contender [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] was preparing to face all of the top names in the division, except one.

Saturday at Vivint Arena, Dvalishvili (14-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will step into the cage to face former UFC and WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. The bantamweight bout sits in the middle of the UFC 278 main card, which airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ABC and ESPN+.

Even though he is a top 10 fighter in the bantamweight division, seeing Aldo (31-7 MMA, 13-6 UFC) as the opponent listed on his bout agreement was a surprise for Dvalishvili.

“When UFC call me and give me this fight, I was shocked because I was ready for everyone, but not for Jose Aldo,” Dvalishvili told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC 278 media day. “I was thinking everybody else but not Jose Aldo, because I was thinking I wasn’t big enough. But I guess I am, and he take fight with me. It means a lot.”

Dvalishvili, who currently holds the No. 5 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, is riding hot on a seven-fight win streak. Aldo is right on his heels at No. 6, and appears to have found his footing in the division by winning his previous three after dropping his first two when he made the switch from featherweight.

But how will the former champion of the higher weight class deal with Dvalishvili’s aggressive grappling approach?

“We will find out,” Dvalishvili said with a laugh. “He has a good wrestling defense. He fight Frankie Edgar two times, but I think I can still take him down, and if not, I’m still going to keep forward pressure and fight hard. But I believe I will take him down.”

Thus far in his UFC career, Dvalishvili has successfully brought every opponent he’s faced to the canvas. In his last outing, he scored four takedowns on former title challenger Marlon Moraes, and racked up five against Cody Stamann before that. However, he knows if and when he gets the fight to the ground, he has to worry about the black belt BJJ skills of Aldo.

“We all see how he beat ‘Chito’ Vera,” Dvalishvili said. “He take his back and control the last round. If he needs it, he can use it, but I’m ready for everything.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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UFC 278 pre-fight press conference live stream

MMA Junkie will have a live stream of the UFC 278 pre-fight press conference at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

SALT LAKE CITY – The UFC 278 pre-fight press conference takes place Thursday, and MMA Junkie will have a live stream of the festivities beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

The event feature headliners Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, who rematch for the welterweight title, co-headliners Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold, as well as the featured bout between Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili.

UFC 278 takes place Saturday at Vivant Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ABC and ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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Kamaru Usman says no need to put on weight for 205 pounds: ‘People don’t understand what my death grip is like’

“I don’t need to put on the weight. People don’t understand what my death grip is like.”

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] thinks he’s more than capable of handling the UFC’s light heavyweights.

Usman (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC), the UFC welterweight champion and No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, is seriously considering jumping two weight divisions and competing at 205 pounds.

When asked what he would change in a weight class 35 pounds heavier than his, “The Nigerian Nightmare” said not much because he thinks he’s strong enough for the division.

“I don’t need to put on the weight,” Usman told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC 278 media day. “People don’t understand what my death grip is like. If I get around you, I don’t care if whether you’re a heavyweight or 205 – these guys understand where my strength is. But I’ll leave that up to my coaches. I have an idea what I want to do in a fight, but I’ll leave that up to my coaches.

“I have an approach of how I want to fight those fights in my head, which usually comes out when everything else is failing in a fight.”

Usman returns in Saturday’s UFC 278 headliner when he rematches Leon Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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UFC 278’s Paulo Costa says he runs his own social media accounts: ‘I’m a little bit of a fun guy’

Paulo Costa assures everyone that it’s really him behind his social media.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] assures everyone that it’s really him behind his social media accounts.

Costa recently has shown off his sense of humor on social media, posting modified memes and interacting with fans and fighters. It’s a side that perhaps people had never seen from Costa in the past, but the Brazilian says he’s enjoying showing off his personality.

“Just me – 100 percent, believe (me),” Costa told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC 278 media day. “I’m a little bit of a fun guy, but it’s 100 percent me.”

Costa (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) returns to action in Saturday’s UFC 278 co-main event when he takes on former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold (16-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Enjoy some of Costa’s recent tweets below:

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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UFC 278 ‘Embedded,’ No. 4: Kamaru Usman addresses ‘being Hollywood’

Check out the third episode of UFC 278 “Embedded,” where Kamaru Usman talks about “being Hollywood” and what that means.

The UFC is back with its ninth pay-per-view of the year, which means the popular “Embedded” fight-week video series is here to document what’s happening behind the scenes.

UFC 278 takes place Saturday at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

The main event features a highly anticipated rematch between welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) and [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC). The two first fought in December 2015 in Usman’s first fight after winning Season 21 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Usman won a unanimous decision and went on to win the 170-pound title, which he has defended five times. Edwards has gone 9-0 since their first fight.

The co-main event features the return of former middleweight champ [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who will be fighting for the first time in more than three years when he meets [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC).

The fourth episode of “Embedded” follows the featured fighters while they get ready for fight week. Here is the UFC’s description of the episode from YouTube:

Luke Rockhold breaks down the main event. Champ Kamaru Usman surrounds himself with his team. Merab Dvalishvili sees his star rise. Jose Aldo talks rhythm; Leon Edward stays sharp for Mother England.

Also watch:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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Luke Rockhold: ‘Weak-minded’ Paulo Costa does not know how to deal with adversity

Luke Rockhold thinks Paulo Costa is a quitter and he plans on breaking him.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] is a quitter and he plans on breaking him.

Rockhold (16-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) meets Costa (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 278 co-main event at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Costa’s most recent outing against Marvin Vettori at UFC Fight Night 196 took place at 205 pounds after the Brazilian had trouble making the middleweight mark. Costa lost that fight by unanimous decision and Rockhold thinks his inability to handle everything was a sign of weakness.

“Adversity makes a man,” Rockhold told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC 278 media day. “He has not been able to deal with adversity. It’s only getting worse. We’ll see who the man (is who) shows up. This is the real test. The first loss is one thing, and he used weight as a weakness. That’s what he did. He missed weight. He tried to pull the 10 pounds up, and he didn’t use that. That is an advantage he’s trying to seek because he is a f*cking weak-minded motherf*cker. But now the real test is here.”

Rockhold will look to take Costa’s confidence early and thinks he’s too dangerous for him both on the outside and inside.

“Yeah, 100 percent (I’m too dangerous),” Rockhold said. “You saw the recipe with what Israel (Adesanya) did. It’s not forcing the issue, though, like I’ve done in the past – is trying the false sense of confidence, like trying to intimidate right off the bat. Dominick Cruz went in, right off the bat he tried to come off (against Marlon Vera), and it’s not him. He showed weakness, and ‘Chito,’ you knew he was in his head already. So assessing and attacking at the right time, but you’ve got to show that man you’re the bigger man. Like I said – adversity, he does not know how to deal with it.

“He’s a man that fights out of emotion and intimidation. If you give him that, he’ll run with it. I’m a dangerous striker from the outside. He’s got to cross that line. He’s got to get to the inside. He’s got to get at me. With that being said, if you cross that line, you misstep, you slip, you fall – wrestling and grappling and all these things, there’s a big f*cking gap between me and him, and if he misses that step, this game is over.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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UFC 278 free fight: Kamaru Usman outpoints Colby Covington in heated rematch

Watch Kamaru Usman go toe to toe with Colby Covington at UFC 268.

If there were any doubts after their first bout, [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] made sure to do it again in the second.

The UFC welterweight champion defeated Colby Covington in a unanimous decision win in their heated rematch back in November 2021 at UFC 268.

It was a rematch that stemmed from a very competitive title bout at UFC 245 in 2019, where Usman (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) stopped Covington in the fifth round. Covington protested the stoppage, and some online agreed it came premature.

Well, two years later, Usman picked up a second win over Covington, but this time beating him on the scorecards 48–47, 48–47 and 49–46.

You can watch Usman’s rematch win over Covington in the video above.

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“The Nigerian Nightmare” returns on Aug. 20 in the main event of UFC 278.

He takes on Leon Edwards in another rematch, as the two previously fought in 2015. Usman defeated Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in a unanimous decision.

Usman has yet to compete in 2022. The 35-year-old last fought in November at UFC 268 where he defeated Colby Covington in a rematch to defend his title for a fifth time. Usman suffered a broken hand during the bout, which he subsequently had surgery on and spent the first half of 2022 rehabbing. Usman is unbeaten in the UFC and on a 19-fight winning streak.

Edwards has been a top contender for some time now. The English fighter has yet to lose since a setback to Usman back in 2015. Edwards is unbeaten in 10 consecutive fights, with nine victories and one no contest. During that stretch, Edwards has beaten the likes of Vicente Luque, Rafael dos Anjos and most recently Nate Diaz.

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UFC welterweights predict Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2

Kamaru Usman or Leon Edwards? UFC welterweights give their prediction.

The UFC welterweight title is up for grabs this Saturday.

Champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] returns to the octagon in the main event of UFC 278 in Salt Lake City to take on [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] in a rematch that’s been years in the making.

The two first fought in December 2015 at UFC on FOX 17. That night in Florida, Usman defeated Edwards to win a unanimous decision. Now, almost seven years later, they’re running it back for the belt.

Ahead of their rematch, MMA Junkie asked their UFC welterweight peers about how the rematch could go. Below are their predictions and analysis of the fight.

Jose Aldo confident he’ll get title shot with win at UFC 278, picks Aljamain Sterling to beat T.J. Dillashaw

Jose Aldo expects nothing, but a title shot with a win at UFC 278.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] feels after Saturday he’ll be undeniable.

The former UFC and WEC featherweight champion expects to be fighting for gold once again if victorious in his UFC return. Aldo (31-7 MMA, 13-6 UFC) takes on rising contender Merab Dvalishvili (14-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) on the main card of UFC 278.

The Brazilian is currently on a three-fight winning streak, with unanimous decision wins over Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font. Aldo is confident a championship fight should follow next, if he is able to extend his run to four straight with a win over Dvalishvili.

“I actually think that I (should’ve been) fighting for the title,” Aldo told reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC 278 media day. “I wanted to fight Aljo (Aljamain Sterling), but he’s going for Dillashaw.

“I believe if I win this fight, I am actually then the next one up to fight for the belt.”

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Right now, the UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is scheduled to face T.J. Dillashaw on Oct. 22 at UFC 280. Aldo believes Sterling will defend his title and beat Dillashaw.

“If we’re going with a pick, I’ll say Aljo (because) for the moment that he’s going through in his career,” Aldo said. “He’s been fighting at a high level, and also I think Dillashaw had that time when he wasn’t fighting, so I think that goes against him. The moment in which Aljo is fighting, I think he’s the one that’s going to get it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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Kamaru Usman denies fame has got to him before UFC 278; wants to be ‘bigger than Dwayne Johnson’

Kamaru Usman fires back at Leon Edwards’ claims that money and fame have gone to his head going into UFC 278.

SALT LAKE CITY – [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] may wear silk shirts and be dipping his toe into the world of acting with an appearance in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” but he said nothing has changed in regard to his focus of keeping the UFC title.

Ahead of his welterweight title defense Saturday at UFC 278, Usman’s (20-1 MMA, 15-0 UFC) opponent Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) accused him of allowing fame and fortune to get to his head, leaving him vulnerable to be dethroned in the pay-per-view headliner at Vivint Arena, which airs on ESPN/ABC and ESPN+.

Usman rejects that insinuation, and said while he enjoys the perks he’s worked so hard to attain through fighting inside the octagon, he has not compromised himself in a negative way. Instead, he is striving for bigger and better, and said he eventually wants “the bankroll” of the highest-grossing actor on the planet in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“I was in a movie and everyone says, ‘He Hollywood now,'” Usman told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC 278 media day. “When I was in college eating $5 Little Caesars pizza and I was surviving off of that for two days, and eating ramen noodles for a whole week, you know what I did? I dreamt of getting to a point where I didn’t have to do that. To where I could walk into any steakhouse wherever I wanted and tell my mom and dad, ‘You guys want to go there? I got you. Let’s go there. You want to fly private? I got you.’ I always dreamt of that and always wanted that. So I put the work in to get to that point. To get to the point where I wanted silk shirts. … I always wanted that.

“I put the work in and I got that. But that doesn’t stop me. I want to be bigger than Dwayne Johnson. I’m not bigger than him, so that means I need more work. So this notion of people who say, ‘You’re Hollywood now. It’s going to his head.’ If he’s thinking that, it’s the biggest misconception – it’ll be a short night for him come Saturday night.”

Usman faces a familiar foe in Edwards at UFC 278. He already defeated the Brit once, working his way to a unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 17 in December 2015. A lot has changed in the years since then, but Usman said one thing will remain the same: He’s leaving the octagon with his hand raised.

“He knows what’s going to happen, and I know what’s going to happen,” Usman said. “He’s the next guy up, so he’s the biggest, baddest dude. According to everybody, he’s the biggest, baddest dude. And I think skill-wise he’s very, very good.”

UFC 278 represents a monumental moment for Usman. After recording 15 consecutive wins to begin his UFC tenure, he’ll attempt to tie Anderson Silva’s record for the longest winning streak in the history of the company.

Usman said it’s not a record he’s been striving for, but now that he’s here, he appreciates the moment.

“It’s a special accomplishment,” Usman said. “It is special. It’s one of those things that just lets you know all the work that you’ve put in over the years. All the training, all the guidance from coaches and my team to get to the point where – Anderson Silva was doing this sport before I got into the sport. I remember when I started watching UFC that was the man. That was the guy to watch. Now being in the position to tie that record, it means a lot to me.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 278.

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