Former Featherweight main and currently No. 3 bantamweight Jose Aldo faces No. 6 Merab Devali on the main card at UFC 278 on Saturday Shvili.
Rising Georgians have had a major impact on the UFC 135-pound title.
Devalishvili hoped to bring the fight to the ground sooner, but Aldo shrugged off the attempt. Aldo defended the second knockout attempt. Devalishvili again punched closer but couldn’t knock Aldo to the ground. Devalishvili had more output than Aldo in the first round, but Aldo finished the game out of control at the end.
Devalishvili continued to look for the end in the second round, and Aldo continued to defend. Devalishvili put his knee on Aldo’s leg in a clenched position. Once they were separated, Aldo attacked. It wasn’t long before Dvalishvili attempted to push Aldo to the ground again. Devalishvili spent most of his time pressing Aldo to the cage.
Dvalishvili closed the distance immediately, but Aldo defended the knockout attempt to start the final round. Dvalishvili is attached to the right hand. Aldo put his knees on his body, but Dvalishvili kept pushing forward. Dvalishvili got a combo midway through the round. Aldo was unable to organize any effective offense. In the final round, Dvalishvili finally pushed Aldo to the ground, but Aldo stood up immediately. Dvalishvili didn’t let Aldo go free and finished the round with his knee on Aldo’s lap.
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At the end of the competition, the judges unanimously decided to score Dvalishvili. The scorecard says 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.
“Oh my god. It’s a dream,” Devalishvili said after the biggest win of his career.
With the win, Devalishvili appears to have clashed with training partner and champion Aljaman Sterling. He credited Sterling for his success and said the two would not fight each other.
“Because of Arjo, I have won seven in a row,” said Devalishvili. “We’re not fighting each other. We’re brothers.”
