Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili shared the UFC Octagon on the main card of UFC 278. After three rounds, Dvalishvili emerged on top via a comfortable unanimous decision to extend his winning streak to eight straight wins and put his name up in the fight for #1 contender for the UFC’s bantamweight championship.
Merab was aggressive and came out with a tenacity that saw him pressure Aldo and overwhelm him with his persistent attempt to get the takedown, all the while walking toward him with complete Octagon control. While Merab may not have gotten the takedown, he was able to dominate Aldo both in the clinch and on the feet.
Someone who looked like he had his eyes on this match-up since the very start was Conor McGregor, and the Notorious did not fail to pass a few comments during the fight.
Conor McGregor showers praise on Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278
Conor McGregor took the time to praise Merab Dvalishvili and called it a tailored-made fight for the Georgian fighter. In a really incredible striker in the form of Jose Aldo against a very hungry wrestler in the form of Merab Dvalishvili, the match-up was truly a masterpiece.
What an entrance. Performance of a career here I feel. This guy tailor made for Jose to shine. Styles makes fights. Great matchup!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 21, 2022
McGregor also praised Merab’s wrestling and praised the Georgian fighters who he believes are quite “underrated” and “largely unknown.”
Those Georgians are really under rated tho and largely unknown. But many incredible wrestler grapplers hail from here. Certainly straight wrestlers. This guy Mirab is a great little fighter!
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 21, 2022
It’s hard not to agree with Conor McGregor. Georgia has produced some of the finest mixed martial artists in recent times. Currently, Ilia Topuria, Giga Chikadze, Guram Kutateladze, and Merab Dvalishvili hail from Georgia, making their presence felt in the UFC.
While Giga and Topuria are more a striker than a wrestler, both Guram Kutateladze and Merab Dvalishvili are high-caliber wrestlers making a name in the bantamweight and lightweight divisions respectively.
Leaned his way to victory. Refs need to separate stale positions quicker. Especially if happening repeatedly. Earlier each time. It’s fighting guys! Not saying anything on Mirab he done what he had to / won the match. The ref should separate tho to potentially get a real finish.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 21, 2022
With the victory, Merab will likely find himself in the top-3 of the UFC’s bantamweight division. Needless to say, a title opportunity is not too far and we could possibly see Merab take on his friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling should he triumph over TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280. However, Merab has denied any possibility of fighting his friend inside the Octagon.
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