Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Jose Aldo Win His Fourth In A Row?

Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Jose Aldo Win His Fourth In A Row?

The Bantamweight division has no lack of talent in the rankings, and this will be proven when two contenders in the bantamweight division meet in the octagon at UFC 278. Those contenders are Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili. Aldo is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, while Dvalishvili is on a seven-fight win streak. Someone will have a winning streak come to an end in this bout tonight, but the question is, who will it be? Let's take a look at my prediction, pick, and odds for tonight's fight.

Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili Start Time, Where To Watch, and Odds

• When: Saturday, August 20, 2022
• Time: 10:00 PM EDT
• Where: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Where to Watch: PPV

Click Here For Aldo vs. Dvalishvili Odds

Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili Prediction

Jose Aldo has had quite the turnaround later in his career. After over a decade of fighting at featherweight, Aldo moved down to bantamweight in 2019 against Marlon Moraes. The move looked ill-advised at first, as Aldo suffered back-to-back losses, but also has found a second wind down the stretch. Even at 35 years old, Aldo still takes fighters the distance and does it in a dominant fashion.

Aldo is coming off wins against Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font, all top contenders in the division. Those three marquee wins are enough to convince me that Aldo will be fighting for the title if he wins tonight against Merab. The same can be said for Merab in this spot, as a win over Jose Aldo should be enough to convince Dana and the matchmakers that he has earned his shot at the title.

When he entered the UFC, Merab Dvalishvili was a bright prospect in the bantamweight division. Some doubts may have entered people's minds after losing to Frankie Saenz, but he came back and looked excellent against Ricky Simon. Oh wait, he lost that fight too, but not really. It is highly controversial that Simon had Dvalishvili in the final seconds of their fight, but ultimately it was ruled a finish for Simon at the 5:00 minute mark of the third round.

Merab was most likely going to get his hand raised after outstriking Simon and landing six takedowns. After that loss, we saw the prospect that Dvalishvili is. He has now rattled off seven straight wins and has shown his dominant wrestling in the process. Merab is maybe the best wrestler in the bantamweight division. He has landed four or more takedowns in eight of his nine UFC fights and more than ten takedowns in three of them. Merab has great cardio to accompany this wrestling, as most wrestlers in the UFC do. He will surely be looking to take Aldo down in this fight.

Although Aldo is a black belt in BJJ, I doubt he will be looking to take this fight to the ground tonight. Aldo has some of the best takedown defense in the UFC and is not easily controlled. He is a strong fighter and has excellent balance and footwork. He can keep the fight standing when he wants to, and I believe he will tonight.

Although Aldo is the older and slower fighter in this matchup, I expect him to win on the feet. He has a featherweight frame and is the slightly larger fighter of the two, which will help him defend the takedowns Merab throws his way. Aldo is one of the craftiest strikers in the UFC, and he has seen it all inside the octagon in over 11 years in the UFC.

Don't call it a comeback, but Aldo's last three fights have been immensely impressive, and as dominant as Merab has looked over his seven-fight win streak, I think Aldo can keep this fight standing and land more damage to get his hand raised on the scorecards. I am backing Aldo by decision in this fight.

Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili Pick

• Jose Aldo by Decision (+260) (Bet $100 to win $260)

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