Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Nolan King

UFC 278 results: Merab Dvalishvili stifles Jose Aldo, says he won’t fight champ teammate Aljamain Sterling

Merab Dvalishvili moved one step closer to the UFC title – even if he’s not interested in it right now.

Saturday at UFC 278, Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) defeated former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The bantamweight bout was part the main card at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

Aldo entered to a massive pop from the Utah crowd, which gave him a big ovation at every point possible. With audible support, Aldo started strong with a few leg kicks. His signature takedown defense was tested early, as Dvalishvili shot – as many expected him to, given his takedown prowess.

Dvalishvili struggled to get Aldo to the canvas. Despite repeated attempts, he had no significant success. Aldo’s counters, range and kicks were strong and heavy in Round 1.

In Round 2, Dvalishvili held control in the clinch along the cage for long durations of time. Aldo complained, and even made a yawning motion at one point. Upon each separation by Aldo, Dvalisvhili would return the fight to the same spot.

Having neutralized much of Aldo’s offense in Round 2, Dvalishvili returned to the same gameplan in Round 3. There was much more cage-pushing, much to the dismay of the crowd. As he sucked the energy out of the arena, he also sucked energy out of Aldo, who noticeably slowed.

Boos rained down upon the final bell. Shortly more after, they returned with the official decision. Dvalishvili and his corner of UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, former welterweight champion Matt Serra, and coach Ray Longo were elated. Meanwhile, Aldo crashed to the canvas in disagreement before he shared a moment of respect with Dvalishvili who came over to console him.

Dvalishvili then told UFC commentator Joe Rogan during the in-cage interview that he won’t ever fight Sterling, as the two are great friends.

With the victory, Dvalishvili extends his winning streak to eight. The stretch also includes wins over the likes of Marlon Moraes, Cody Stamann, and John Dodson among others. After Saturday, Dvalishvili could be knocking on the doorstep of his

As for Aldo, the defeat snaps a three-fight losing skid and brings him to 3-3 as a bantamweight in the UFC. Aldo, 35, is widely considered one of, if not the, greatest featherweights of all time.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 278 results include:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.