UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2 (August 20, 2022)

[THE_LOCKSMITH]

Pay-per-view 10:00 pm ET
Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards (for welterweight title)
Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold
Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Marcin Tybura vs. Alexandr Romanov
Tyson Pedro vs. Harry Hunsucker

ABC 8:00 pm ET
Leonardo Santos vs. Jared Gordon
Yanan ** vs. Lucie Pudilova
Luis Saldana vs. Sean Woodson
Miranda Maverick vs. Shanna Young

ESPN+6:00 pm ET
A.J. Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa
Amir Albazi vs. Francisco Figueiredo
Aori Qileng vs. Jay Perrin
Victor Altamirano vs. Daniel Da Silva

[Demonata]

My buddy got me a ticket! I'm going to this event live!!!! I'm excited!

[agendaman]

man.some huge favorites.

[Brandt Moat]

Favs odds are jumping up by the hour!

[Allure]

UFC Fight Nights: blindly bet on underdogs, they usually win
UFC PPV events: faves usually win

I'm feeling Usman, Costa and Romanov. Square ass parlay but it is what it is. Also going with Merab over Aldo.

[Brandt Moat]

One of us is going to win All. I'm putting 1/2 unit each on Aldo and Rockhold. Parlay with Fletcher,Gordon,Pedro,Romanov,Usman. GL

[povis]

Gamblers get destroyed if they only bet big favorites Usman -910 really?,

[povis]

Aldo at the bare minimum is a live dog best TDD in the entire sport, yes Merab is motor and machine but i have to see it before you can write Aldo off to a sunset. Luke most likely going to sleep again.

[Allure]

Rockhold hasn't fought for 3 years, is 37 years old, had a glass jaw back in the day so what makes ppl think that this has changed?

If Costa wants to have an UFC career he better win since he's on a 2 fight losing streak and looked bad in both.

[Brandt Moat]

I'm not on Luke for his whiskers. He is a way better athlete then Costa. Not a fan of Rockhold either. I don't care for the arrogant fook. He will not grind out a win for ya. He has a good fight knowledge. Usually sticks to a game plan to secure wins. Costa has one avenue for victory. Thinking Luke can avoid it for 3 rounds and get the win. GL

[Brandt Moat]

Enjoy! Haven't been to a UFC event myself. Let us know the ringside buzz.

QUOTE=Demonata;30966295]My buddy got me a ticket! I'm going to this event live!!!! I'm excited![/QUOTE]

[hankcream]

I'm not on Luke for his whiskers. He is a way better athlete then Costa. Not a fan of Rockhold either. I don't care for the arrogant fook. He will not grind out a win for ya. He has a good fight knowledge. Usually sticks to a game plan to secure wins. Costa has one avenue for victory. Thinking Luke can avoid it for 3 rounds and get the win. GL

I was thinking about sprinkling a little on Rockhead as well but that layoff is concerning. It looks like he has been training with Khabib and if he sticks to wrestling the idiot Costa he should have a good chance to beat him, but Rockhold has a massive ego and he will probably think he's a better striker and try to strike with Costa - not good in my opinion.
Costa split up with his manager and it sounds like his girlfriend will be cornering him, if Rockhold flirts with her at the press conference or before the fight I will be making a big play on him.

[hankcream]

Miranda Maverick fought Young 3 years ago and choked her out in the 1st round. I hate betting Women's MMA fights but Maverick inside the distance +120 is very tempting.

[Brandt Moat]

Lost my ars on Miranda the night Pena upset Nunes. I was ready to lay $500 to win 3k on Pena in Co-Main. Turned into a twat and squeezed up and didn't put a nickel on her. Miranda has to exhibit a more killer instinct before I will return to betting on her. Rockhold will hopefully do what looks to be the obvious path to victory. He is a talented azz Hole. If he does lose, I hope he gets twisted into the ground!

[Brandt Moat]

Miranda Maverick fought Young 3 years ago and choked her out in the 1st round. I hate betting Women's MMA fights but Maverick inside the distance +120 is very tempting.

That would be the only way to bet that fight with the odds that high. Maverick needs to make a statement. She will be trying to win by finish. GL

[Brandt Moat]

The Odds continue to climb Hank. Might want to hold wait. The earliest line I had was Rockhold +230. He is at +300.

[Brandt Moat]

Gamblers get destroyed if they only bet big favorites Usman -910 really?,

It's weird. I bet on Betrivers where the line is listed off their site @ -900. On the Betrivers site it is much lower @ -400.

[I'm_Lucky]

I may possibly have the squarest parlay in UFC of all time: Costa & Usman at -168

[Brandt Moat]

Rockhold is smoking grass and dosing mushrooms for focus purposes. O.K. I dosed a few weeks ago at 57 years old. I focused on the shower door glass for a few while sitting on the shitter. Not so sure about our boy Luke here! He is really caught up in the Cali vibe. He has been training at elevation. He seems focused??? Or high..lol I'm betting the weird fook. Costa is as fooked up as Luke. I contemplated putting more then a unit on Luke. I'm staying with a 1/2 unit.

[JIBBBY]

Prelim write ups -






170 lbs.: A.J. Fletcher vs. Ange Loosa

A.J. Fletcher (9-1) — who went 7-2 as an amateur — earned his UFC contract with a flying knee finish of Leonardo Damiani. His first Octagon outing pitted him against Matthew Semelsberger, who out-lasted Fletcher to a decision victory.
He has knocked out and submitted four professional foes apiece.
Ange Loosa (8-3) — who’d split his previous two bouts — came up short in a Contender Series war with Jack Della Maddalena in Sept. 2021. After beating John Howard on the regional circuit, he made his UFC debut on a two-week turnaround, dropping a decision to Mounir Lazzez.
He brings a seven-inch reach advantage into the cage.
Very good matchmaking here between capable prospects who’ve yet to put it all together. On paper, this is a much more favorable matchup for Loosa than Lazzez was; he’ll have plenty more opportunities to land his leg kicks and cracking right hand against someone who isn’t a master of range management. On the flipside, Fletcher’s likely the best wrestler Loosa has ever faced, and he proved his toughness in standing up to Semelsberger last time out.
I’m leaning Fletcher’s way, largely because of the sheer power of his takedowns and Loosa’s tendency to lead with naked kicks. That short reach is going to earn him some heavy shots, especially if he hasn’t tightened up his cardio. With a sprinkle of optimism as to Fletcher’s hypothetical improvements, I say he wrestles his way to a competitive victory.
Prediction: Fletcher via unanimous decision
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125 lbs.: Amir Albazi vs. Francisco Figueiredo

Amir Albazi (14-1) put together a perfect (11-0) professional start before running afoul of UFC veteran Jose “Shorty” Torres under the Brave CF banner. He ultimately reached the Octagon two fights later and quickly secured wins over Malcolm Gordon and Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
He fights for the first time in nearly 19 months.
Francisco Figueiredo (13-4-1) went from grinding out Jerome Rivera in his UFC debut to suffering an upset decision loss to Malcolm Gordon his next time out. Unfazed, “Sniper” secured his biggest win to date with a 78-second kneebar of Daniel da Silva that earned him “Performance of the Night.”
All but two of his wins have come inside the distance, eight of them via submission.
For my money, Albazi is one of the Flyweight division’s dark horses. If it wasn’t for the inactivity, he’d be knocking on the door of contention by now. Can’t say the same for Figueiredo, though; weak cardio, low output, and a reliance on grinding out opponents make his ceiling exponentially lower than his brothers.
He just doesn’t have a lot of options against a superior grappler in Albazi, especially considering that Albazi also held his own on the feet against a very capable striker in Zhumagulov. Unless Figueiredo can pull another kneebar out of his hat, Albazi out-classes him in an increasingly one-sided bout.
Prediction: Albazi via unanimous decision
Related
Watch ‘Countdown To UFC 278’

135 lbs.: Aoriqileng vs. Jay Perrin

Aoriqileng (22-9) entertained in his debut “Fight of the Night” against Jeff Molina, but found himself 0-2 in the Octagon after falling to Cody Durden his next time out. Moving up to 135 pounds appeared to do the trick, as he smashed Cameron Else five months later.
Seven of his eight pro finishes have come via (technical) knockout.
A title-winning run in Cage Titans brought Jay Perrin (10-5) to Contender Series, where he lost a unanimous decision to Dwight Joseph. Three fights later, he stepped up on short notice for an unsuccessful UFC debut against Mario Bautista.
He’s ended four fights by submission, though just one since 2018.
The key question here is how much Aoriqileng’s wrestling has developed. His sheer aggression and power are more than a match for Perrin’s technically sound but overly linear kickboxing, but the latter’s takedowns are a very effective equalizer. “The Mongolian Murderer” surrendered a critical takedown to an exhausted Durden in the third round of their fight, and while his grappling looked solid against Else, “Camchida” is nobody’s idea of a top-tier grappler.
Maybe this is my fondness of Aoriqileng’s style overpowering my sense of caution, or maybe I’m putting too much stock into Perrin’s clinch issues against Bautista, but I’ll be an optimist. In the end, Aoriqileng steadily breaks him down for a clear decision win.
Prediction: Aoriqileng via unanimous decision
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125 lbs.: Daniel da Silva vs. Victor Altamirano

Daniel da Silva (11-3) was 11-1 when he entered the Octagon, his only professional defeat coming via injury in March 2019. He’s still chasing his first UFC victory, suffering consecutive stoppage losses to Jeff Molina and Francisco Figueiredo.
Ten of his 11 finishes have come in the first round.
Despite failing to secure a finish against Carlos Candelario on Contender Series, Victor Altamirano (10-2) split decision victory impressed the brass enough to earn him a contract. This set up a UFC debut against fellow graduate Carlos Hernandez, who eked out a split decision to snap Altamirano’s four-fight win streak.
“El Magnifico” stands two inches taller than da Silva at 5’8.”
I really should just make a list of, “types of fights that are annoying to predict,” because this is definitely one of them: a match up where one fighter clearly has the tools to ruin the other one’s day, but is so painfully incapable of executing consistently that I can’t pick him. da Silva’s power kicks and Altamirano’s tendencies to dip his head and keep his hands low are a bad combination, as is the former’s submission skills and the latter’s willingness to accept bad positions on the mat.
“Miojo” just makes too many unforced errors, from burning himself out chasing subs against Molina to getting caught by Figueiredo’s kneebar. For all his faults, Altamirano is at least durable and consistent enough to survive da Silva’s early offense and take over when he’s given the opportunity to do so.
Prediction: Altamirano via second round submission




155 lbs.: Leonardo Santos vs. Jared Gordon

It took him seven years to do it, but The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): Brazil 2 winner, Leonardo Santos (18-6-1) opened his UFC career 7-0-1. The fun wasn’t to last, and he enters the cage this Saturday on the heels of consecutive stoppage losses to Grant Dawson and Clay Guida.
He has submitted nine professional opponents and knocked out another four.
Reeling from a 1-3 skid that saw him knocked out in each defeat, Jared Gordon (18-5) battled his way back into the mix with three consecutive decision victories. This set up a clash with the aforementioned Dawson, who choked him out late in the third round.
“Flash” gives up three inches of height and seven inches of reach to Santos.
This goes one of two ways. Option A sees Santos clip the historically fragile Gordon early with one of the out-of-nowhere death punches he used to fell Kevin Lee and Stevie Ray. Option B sees Gordon exploit Santos’ poor cardio to wear him down for a late finish, and that’s by far the likelier outcome. Santos is far from washed at 42 years old, having held his own against Dawson before the late finish and nearly finished Guida in the opening minutes, but it’s clear that he can no longer sustain his offense for a full 15 minutes.
Gordon, on the other hand, has the sort of gas tank he can weaponize. Though it wouldn’t be surprising to see Santos find early success with his grappling and power shots, he’ll be running on fumes by the time Gordon finishes warming up. In the end, Gordon snowballs in the second and third for a (technical) knockout finish or wide decision.
Prediction: Gordon via third round technical knockout
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135 lbs.: ** Yanan vs. Lucie Pudilova

** Yanan (12-5) rebounded from a UFC debut loss to Gina Mazany with a bonus-winning armbar of Lauren Mueller that saw “Mulan” defy 3:1 odds. She’s managed just three fights in nearly four years, coming up short each time via decision.
She faces a 1.5-inch reach disadvantage.
Lucie Pudilova (13-7) put together consecutive wins over Ji Yeon Kim and Sarah Moras before exiting UFC on the heels of four straight losses, though she did secure two post-fight bonuses along the way. She’s since won five of six in her native Czech Republic, most recently in April 2022.
Her four professional finishes are split evenly between knockouts and submissions.
Man, it’s nice to see Pudilova back in the Octagon. She’s not going to challenge for a title anytime soon, but she’s a profoundly violent woman who’s always welcome on my screen.
As for this match up in particular, it’s a battle of **’s movement and variety against Pudilova’s aggression and willingness to throw heat. I’ve got Pudilova by a hair. That’s because for all that she dances around the cage, ** isn’t particularly difficult to hit, and she doesn’t have the offensive wrestling to neutralize Pudilova the way others have in the past. In short, Pudilova’s more eye-catching power shots carry her to a narrow win.
Prediction: Pudilova via split decision
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145 lbs.: Sean Woodson vs. Luis Saldana

Starching Terrance McKinney on Contender Series earned Sean Woodson (9-1) a UFC berth, which he opened with a decision over Kyle Bochniak and comeback submission loss to Julian Erosa. Then came consecutive victories over Youssef Zalal and Collin Anglin, the latter of which marked his first Octagon finish.
He stands three inches taller than Luis Saldana (16-7) and boasts a five-inch reach advantage.
Saldana capped off a four-fight winning streak with a front kick knockout of Jordan Griffin on Contender Series, earning a UFC contract along the way. He currently sits at 2-1 in the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, a decision loss to Austin Lingo sandwiched between decisions over Jordan Griffin and Bruno Souza.
His professional finishes are split 8/6 between submissions and knockouts.
Even with the caveat that a foot injury contributed greatly to his loss to Lingo, Saldana’s prospects look grim, thanks in large part to his inability to fix the cardio issues that have dogged him all through his UFC tenure. While his movement and kicking skills could serve him well against Woodson’s boxing, it’s hard to have much faith in Saldana when he can only execute for about five minutes.
Between Woodson’s height, length and volume, the prognosis seems clear: Saldana finds early success with mobile pot-shotting, only to fall deeper and deeper into a hole as his legs slow down and Woodson finds the mark with increasing regularity. Saldana only wins this by fighting a perfect fight, which he’s failed to do in three UFC appearances, so expect him to get out-sniped.
Prediction: Woodson via unanimous decision
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125 lbs.: Miranda Maverick vs. Shanna Young

Miranda Maverick (12-4) started her UFC career 2-0 before dropping a robbery decision to Maycee Barber and a far more justifiable one to fast-rising Erin Blanchfield. She last saw action in March 2022, choking out Sabina Mazo for her second finish in the Octagon.
That win marked her seventh by submission and eighth overall by stoppage.
Shanna Young (9-5) fell short on Contender Series against Sarah Alpar before losing her first two UFC bouts to Macy Chiasson and Stephanie Egger. With her back against the wall, “The Shanimal” successfully pounded out Gina Mazany to notch her first Octagon victory.
She gives up a half-inch of reach despite being the taller of the two by four inches.
With all due respect to Young, it’s hard to picture a scenario where she wins this. Every single UFC fighter who’s attempted to take her down has done so, and it wasn’t just because of Young’s poor takedown defense; she willingly clinched up with a judo expert in Egger, which ended about as well as you’d think. Maverick’s going to get plenty of opportunities to get her ground game going and is well-equipped to capitalize.
The big question here isn’t whether Maverick will win, but how long she’ll humor Young on the feet before dragging her down and going to work. Maverick finds her way to Young’s back and squeezes her way to another UFC victory.
Prediction: Maverick via second round submission

[magpie878]

I am absolutely NOT a Costa fan, nor of his excuses.

He can hit, has crazy hard side kicks, and can take a punch. Rockhold cannot take a punch. Barring a freak sub, I think Costa wins easy.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Hoping Leon can give Usman his toughest test yet...maybe pull out a win?

I'd love to see it and think Leon might shock the world.


As far as the Rockhold/Costa scrap, i don't trust either of those guys but should be entertaining should be an early finish for someone.

[JIBBBY]

Hard to bet against Usman. Dude is a stud. Leon better bring his A game! With those odds I'm a no bet so far.

[Allure]

Leon can hang with Usman in boxing however Usman is smart enough to take it to the ground once Leon's boxing becomes a serious threat. Don't see Leon upsetting.

Surprised noone seems to be on Merab. I'm on Merab with a sizeable bet.

[Thrilla]

Marty fake noozman

[Thrilla]

Snoozman

[209 Life]

Rockhold is smoking grass and dosing mushrooms for focus purposes. O.K. I dosed a few weeks ago at 57 years old. I focused on the shower door glass for a few while sitting on the shitter. Not so sure about our boy Luke here! He is really caught up in the Cali vibe. He has been training at elevation. He seems focused??? Or high..lol I'm betting the weird fook. Costa is as fooked up as Luke. I contemplated putting more then a unit on Luke. I'm staying with a 1/2 unit.

57 years old, I would mop you up. I'll show you Cali vibe puzzy

[Demonata]

I'm so pumped that I get to be at these fights! Was hoping to see some fighters around town but so far missed out at Leon Edwards being at the mall by my house.

[hankcream]

Higher elevation in Salt Lake City so probably a lot of fighters gassing early, probably going to play a lot of unders and Fight does not go the distance props.

[hankcream]

Rockhold winning the presser

[Demonata]

Higher elevation in Salt Lake City so probably a lot of fighters gassing early, probably going to play a lot of unders and Fight does not go the distance props.

Yeah I live in salt lake city. Our weather is all smoggy and horrible too. One of the worst air states in USA.

[JIBBBY]

I'm so pumped that I get to be at these fights! Was hoping to see some fighters around town but so far missed out at Leon Edwards being at the mall by my house.

Cool, where are your seats and how much? Just curious Dem.

[imadegen]

I'm absolutely shocked seeing Costa at -400. After watching his last 2 fights how can anyone be that confident in this bum?

ROCKHOLD AT +300.

[JIBBBY]

I'm absolutely shocked seeing Costa at -400. After watching his last 2 fights how can anyone be that confident in this bum?

ROCKHOLD AT +300.

Luke hasn't fought in a 100 years and his chin is probably still glass. It's a gamble.

[Allure]

After watching the UFC Embeddes series and the weigh ins etc, I can confidently say that Luke's going to get KOd. Too much of that motivational gibberish that never ends well. We saw what a long lay off does to you in the Joanna vs Weili fight.

Also you can't compare Costa's preparation for this fight to the last one. Apparently he had some serious mental issues against Vettori but this time around he made weight and quite honestly it doesn't seem like it was a huge challenge to make weight. Costa's hard punches and especially hard kicks will humble Luke. Luke should stick to wrestling but I don't think his ego will allow him to stick to his game plan.

BTW: Is this a 3 rounder or one of those 5 rounders w/o a belt on the line?

Also, again, don't sleep on Merab guys. I know it's Aldo and all that but although being a no-name to the casual UFC fanboy even the bookies see Merab taking this. You know every casual will jump on Aldo at those odds.