UFC 278 brings one title fight and a few very interesting contests. The organization decided that the welterweight title clash between the champion, Kamaru Usman, and the challenger, Leon Edwards, headlines this event. These two guys are long-time rivals, and their bout was a logical move for the organization.
The UFC schedule in the second part of the year is stacked with massive spectacles, and the UFC 278 on August 20, marks the start of that period. Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City hosts this event, and no doubt, the home of the Utah Jazz will be filled with UFC fans.
Apart from the headliner, the notable fights are Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili in the bantamweight division and Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold in the middleweight. They generate quite the hype these days.
Edwards Searching for Revenge
Rocky, as the fans call Edwards, didn’t lose in more than six and a half years, and his last defeat was against Usman back in December 2015. Kamaru won via unanimous decision and later on went on to become the most dominant fighter in the UFC.
The Nigerian Nightmare holds a 20-1 record in MMA but has 19 consecutive victories. On the other side, Edwards didn’t lose over the past ten appearances inside the octagon, winning nine and having one no-contest.
Odds and the bookmakers are favoring the champion, and he is a pretty solid favorite on the market. Since taking over the belt, Kamaru was always a strong favorite, and it is logical to stay the same, particularly after five convincing title defenses.
The two guys dislike one another and engage in trash talk all the time. That previous meeting created certain animosity, which apparently grew as time went by.
Aldo’s Last Chance for a Title-Shot
Jose Aldo is one of the most decorated fighters in the history of the UFC, and with 35 years, his career is slowly nearing its end. That is why the Brazilian wants another title shot and the chance to increase his magnificent legacy even more.
Aldo met with Petr Yan at UFC 251 in the bantamweight title bout but was obliterated by the Russian. Since then, he got back to the basics, earning three straight wins in this category, once again appearing in title talks. His victims were Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font.
On the other side is the powerful Georgian Merab Dvalishvili, who recently rolled over Marlon Moraes with a TKO win. It was the seventh consecutive victory for the Machine, as the fans call Merab, and a ticket to the show with the big boys.
The analysts are suggesting that whoever wins this bout could end up in the title fight, or at least in the title eliminator.
Comeback Fight
Truly, the bout between the former UFC middleweight champion and the former challenger in the same division, Rockhold and Costa, is sort of a comeback fight. Neither of these guys has been quite active recently, with Rockhold entering the ring for the first time since 2019, and on the other side, Costa had just two bouts in the same span.
The Brazilian has some sort of a dispute with the organization, and he often creates incidents. It is to be seen whether this is just a publicity stunt or if he really wants to be released from the UFC.
Meanwhile, Rockhold was announcing his comeback for the last year and a half, but he never quite reached the octagon. This fight was supposed to happen earlier, but Rockhold had certain problems, and it had to be rescheduled.
The former champion suffered two heavy losses in his last two bouts, to Yoel Romero and Jan Blachowicz, the latter on his light heavyweight debut. As for Costa, he also comes off two losses, one in the title bout against Israel Adesanya and the other versus Marvin Vettor in October last year.
To remind you again, UFC 278 is set for August 20.