UFC 278 Preview and Predictions
The UFC octagon is on the road once again, this time making a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah for UFC 278. In this event, Kamaru Usman will look to defend his welterweight title against Leon Edwards in a rematch six years in the making. That is the lone title fight on the card, but it is far from the only entertaining fight with several other big-name veterans scheduled to fight as well. I am here with Garrett Burroughs and UFC preview debutant Chris Chick, AKA Chick Jr., to break down and predict each fight on the main card. Below are our current prediction records.
James: 19-18
Garrett: 21-16
Chick Jr.: 0-0
Tyson Pedro vs Harry Hunsucker — Light Heavyweight
James: Tyson Pedro and Harry Hunsucker will open the pay-per-view main card of UFC 278. Pedro was once a strong prospect as he entered the UFC with first-round knockout wins against Khalil Roundtree and Paul Craig. However, he followed those victories winning just two of his next five fights to push his UFC record to 4-3 and his professional record to 8-3. Meanwhile Hunsucker made his UFC debut at heavyweight, and he was thrown right into the deep end as his first fight was against Tai Tuivasa. That did not go well for Hunsucker as he was knocked out in less than a minute. His second fight was not much better — he was knocked out by Justin Tafa in just under two minutes. After the pair of defeats, Hunsucker decided to make the move to light heavyweight.
Hunsucker’s move down makes sense as he seems to be quick enough for the division. He also did not look nearly as big as Tuivasa or Tafa. However, he still has major flaws in his striking defense. At the same time, that would be one of Pedro’s bigger flaws too. From an offensive perspective, Pedro has a large and more complete skill set. He has an array of kicks that include front kicks, question mark kicks, teeps, calf kicks, oblique kicks, and more. Plus, these kicks are very quick, and they land hard. Since both fighters have shown defensive flaws in the past, I will lean towards the better offensive striker, which is Pedro. In theory, Pedro should be able to land more often than Hunsucker. Give me Pedro by first-round knockout.
Garrett: Tyson Pedro vs Harry Hunsucker to open UFC 278 feels like a travesty. Pedro is the biggest favorite on the card at -730, as he is expected to steamroll Hunsucker here. Fair game to Hunsucker for taking the fight, but the man doesn’t stand a chance. Pedro via whatever way he wants to finish it.
Chick Jr: Tyson Pedro is coming off a first round TKO win after being set back from knee injuries for 3-4 years, his last fight being in 2018! But his TKO win over Ike Villanueva in 2022 proves he still has got it, and in great fashion too as he won with seconds left in the first round. Whilst Harry Hunsucker is coming off two losses, both in the first round, I don’t think he can keep up with Pedro, and I believe Pedro’s return to full health will allow him to keep his win streak alive. Tyson Pedro by TKO in the first round.
Yanan Wu vs Lucie Pudilova- Women’s Bantamweight
James: Yanan Wu and Lucie Pudilova are being inserted into this slot on the UFC 278 main card as ranked heavyweights Alexander Romanov and Marcin Tybura move down to the prelims. At the moment, neither of these women have been able to find sustained success in the UFC. Wu joined the promotion in 2017 and went 1-4. This will be Pudilova’s second UFC stint. During her first run from 2017 to 2020, she went 2-5. To get another shot in the UFC she took a trip back down to the regional scene where she went 5-1. In total, Pudilova sits at a record of 13-7 while Wu is currently 13-5.
Both of these fighters have a handful of strong skills. Wu has solid body kicks, and she also throws combinations that include kicks. For Pudilova, she throws a good jab. Plus, she does a good job of getting into the Muay Thai clinch and utilizes the position to land knees to the head and body. Lastly, she throws at a high pace which can help her stay ahead on the judges’ scorecards. In this fight, if Wu can land kicks to the body consistently, I think she can make tire Pudilova and pull away later in the fight. I will take Wu by decision.
Garrett: Yanan Wu vs Lucie Pudilova is another head scratcher to me. With Wu, you have a fighter who is 1-4 in the UFC, most of which came by decisive decisions (if that makes sense). Across from here is Pudilova who is making her UFC re-entry. Who wins this fight is honestly anyone’s guess. I’ll lean toward Pudilova via decision, as she has at least tasted victory more recently.
Chick Jr: With both fighters coming off UFC losing streaks, Pudilova stands out to me, as she has already been cut from the promotion once. As you know, experience is everything in the UFC, so it’s a tough call. Out of their combined 10 UFC bouts, eight have gone to a decision. I think Wu fights her way to a decision.
#3 Jose Aldo vs #6 Merab Dvalishvili- Bantamweight
James: In the middle of UFC 278, Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili match up in an intriguing bantamweight bout. Aldo is looking to make yet another run at UFC gold. He was once the long-reigning featherweight champion and there is a legit argument for him to be the division’s GOAT. Upon entry to the bantamweight division, he lost a close fight to Marlon Moraes before losing a title fight against Petr Yan. Since then, he has beaten Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font to fight back into title talks. A win against Dvalishvili may get him one last title shot. However, that will not be an easy task. Dvalishvili has amassed an impressive 7-2 record in the UFC. These two losses were his first two UFC fights. Headlining Dvalishvili’s resume is a knockout win over Moraes. While he may not get a title shot with a win, he is currently inching towards a belt.
This fight is a fascinating stylistic match-up. We have the elite takedown defense of Aldo and the great takedowns of Dvalishvili. One of these two skills will have to rise above the other. Outside of that, Dvalishvili fights at a high pace while Aldo has shown cardio weaknesses on occasion. That is important to note, but this is a three round fight so it will likely be less impactful. On the feet, Aldo should have the advantage. He has great boxing that includes strong body work. Plus, he throws tremendous leg kicks. On the feet, I think Aldo can counter when Dvalishvili pressures. As far as takedowns go, I think Aldo will be able to stop some of the takedowns and escape from the bottom if he is taken down. In that scenario, I think Aldo does enough damage on the feet to make Dvalishvili eventually fold. I will take Aldo by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Arguably the fight I am looking forward to the most at UFC 278 is Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili. In one corner, you have a guy who at one time was considered the GOAT at 145, and in the other is as tenacious a wrestler as there is right now in the UFC. Aldo has won three straight and looked solid doing so. One thing I think we forget is that Aldo is only 35, so he still has some fight left in him. A win here thrusts him back into the title picture.
For Merab, I think his best course for success in this fight is to instantly look to wrestle. Aldo has some of the best takedown defense in the division, but someone can only keep that up for so long. If the takedowns land early for Merab, it’s a long night. Aldo is too good to be submitted, so I’ll take Merab via decision.
Chick Jr.: This fight makes me nervous. Jose Aldo is arguably one of the best, if not the best, featherweight fighters of all-time. He dominated the division going unbeaten for 10 years and was even the No. 1 PFP fighter at one point. But he’s also getting to his past-prime days, now 35. He wins fights still consecutively, having only lost three fights in his entire UFC career, but it only takes one fight to highlight just how much father time is affecting Aldo. Dvalishvili is on a great win streak as of right now, winning his last seven fights (six by decision, one by KO/TKO), will he continue his streak against Aldo? Until Aldo proves Father Time is catching up to him, I’m with him all the way. Aldo by decision.
#6 Paulo Costa vs Luke Rockhold- Middleweight
James: Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold are both looking to get back on track in the UFC 278 co-main event. Costa started his UFC career red hot going 12-0 with wins over Uriah Hall and Yoel Romero. The tides have since switched in his last two fights as he lost to Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. Meanwhile, Rockhold started his UFC career 6-1. The final bout of this stretch earned him a title as he defeated Chris Weidman. After that victory, he dropped three of his next four fights in brutal knockout losses to Michael Bisping, Romero, and Jan Blachowicz, the last of which came to Blachowicz back in 2019. The winner of this fight will find themselves near the top five of this division while the loser’s career is in question.
At first glance, it seems destined that Costa will be able to land a knockout in this fight, but it will likely be a little bit more difficult. Rockhold has tremendous kicks. He kicks the body and head very well. Adesanya did a great job of utilizing kicks in his fight with Costa — Rockhold may look to copy his game plan. Rockhold could also look to grapple with Costa. He has very underrated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and he has two submission wins in the UFC. Despite this, Rockhold has a glass chin. If Costa can crowd the kicks of Rockhold and get into boxing range, he can land a big enough punch to finish Rockhold. I will take Costa by knockout in round one.
Garrett: I know I should try and be fair when doing these previews, but some times I can’t. This is one of those times. I could not care less about this co-main event they booked for UFC 278. Luke Rockhold is made of glass and he will be shattered by Paulo Costa. Costa via TKO. Luke retires after the fight to go make more terrible polo commercials.
Chick Jr: Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold isn’t exactly my favorite matchup and is underwhelming for a co-main event. Rockhold has been quiet the last couple years and he’s getting to the age where it MAY be time for him to hang it up. But I’m really curious to see if Costa can bounce back to before he fought Israel Adesanya. Yes, he is coming off back-to-back losses yes, but I have high hopes for him. I will take Costa by 3rd round submission.
(C) Kamaru Usman vs #2 Leon Edwards II- Welterweight Championship
James: The main event of UFC 278 is a fun one. On one hand, we have the UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. On the other hand, we have Leon Edwards, a long overdue title challenger. This fight is also a rematch of a bout that took place very early in each fighter’s career. Usman is 20-1 in MMA, including a 15-fight UFC win streak — six of which came in title fights. With a win over Edwards, he would tie Anderson Silva for the longest win streak in UFC history. At this point, Usman is making a strong case to be the welterweight GOAT. For Edwards, he has been in the UFC since 2014 and he has only lost in the promotion twice. His second loss came to Usman in 2015. After that fight, Edwards went 9-0 with one no contest to earn this title shot.
Edwards will not be an easy fight for Usman as his skill set will present troubles. Most importantly, he is the best striker that Usman has fought during his title run. Masvidal would be the other option for this claim, but he is not that great. Edwards should be able to utilize his kicks to get an early edge. He should also be able to counter Usman effectively. Throw his speed into the mix and things get interesting. Despite Edwards being the more technical striker, Usman will carry much more power. If he lands the right shot, he can get a big knockout. If he cannot do that, his jab will deal damage for all five rounds. In the grappling department Usman holds a massive advantage. While Edwards has developed solid grappling, I do not think he has closed the gap between him and Usman. Overall, I anticipate that Edwards will find early success in the striking exchanges as he throws kicks and counters Usman. If Edwards starts to find success, Usman can transition to wrestling and control Edwards to win rounds. Ultimately, I think this is what happens. I will take Usman by decision.
Garrett: There’s so many ways this UFC 278 main event could go down. You have Leon Edwards FINALLY getting the shot he’s deserved for years now. His most recent outing, albeit against Nate Diaz who almost won that fight in the last 30 seconds, “Rocky” looked outstanding. His combinations and boxing were on point. He is going to need all that and more going up against the P4P No. 1 fighter in the world right now.
There’s this new thing here where if you don’t write about it, you never really believed it. There’s no proof. I have no proof that I have been so high on Kamaru Usman that I thought he could content for a title immediately coming out of TUF. But I did. His wrestling is off the charts and now he’s starting to put the striking together. He’s a walking weapon. I love Edwards, I think this is the wrong fight at the wrong time. Had he fought Woodley for the belt, this might be an Edwards vs Usman for the gold instead. I’ll take Usman via submission.
Chick Jr: Now onto the UFC 278 main event! One of my favorite matchups this year definitely, Leon Edwards is easily one of the least talked about fighters in the welterweight division, which is weird to say about the number two ranked fighter in a bloodbath of a division. That being said, he was on a win streak before he got a NC against Belal Muhammed for an eye poke. Fortunately for him that didn’t slow him down one bit as he continued to win against Nate Diaz. Edwards only lost to only one person since 2015 and it was against, you guessed it, Kamaru Usman. You know revenge is on his mind. But Usman, you’re foolish to bet against him, his game is incredible all around as he continues to improve his striking. He’s undefeated in the UFC, and he’s the No. 1 PFP fighter, you can’t bet against that. Usman by third-round knockout.
*All fighter records and bout information via Tapology*
