Hiram Moreno
UFC action continues this week following the event at Pechanga Stadium in San Diego, California. Now, the mixed martial arts world pays a visit to the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, with UFC 278 having several interesting bouts on the card.
The main event next Saturday, August 20, 2022, is Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards, the second bout between the two and the first since 2015, although there are other matches to consider. Here, at JefeBet we’ll review each of them.
Betting Preview for UFC 278 Salt Lake City Featuring Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards 2 and Other Big Cards on August 20, 2022
Kamaru Usman (-380) vs Leon Edwards (+300)
Welterweight
The headlining fight will pit Usman and Edwards against each other, with both fighters ranked in the top 3 in the UFC welterweight rankings, and with the Nigerian putting his divisional title on the line.
It will be the second bout between the two after they met in 2015, and a lot has happened since then. Edwards has more experience, and Usman himself has mentioned that his body is not what it used to be.
Edwards knows how to fight long fights, which would not benefit Usman, so we think there could be an upset at the Vivint Arena.
Prediction: Leon Edwards.
[Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards betting preview complete].
Paulo Costa (-275) vs Luke Rockhold (+225)
Middleweight
Both fighters face each other with the intention of not losing one more time, as both come after being defeated in their last two fights.
Rockhold has been the most inactive, with his last fight taking place in July 2019, and we’ll have to see how he’s doing now that he’s 37 years old, and the body is starting to take its toll.
While Rockhold has experience and excellent footwork, he faces a highly agile opponent in Paulo Costa, and with defense being his biggest weakness in his career, we believe Paulo Costa may take advantage of his favored status.
Prediction: Paulo Costa (Decision)
[Paulo Costa vs Luke Rockhold betting prediction complete].
Jose Aldo (+100) vs Merab Dvalishvili (-120)
Bantamweight
Both Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili showed their resilience, as after a bad stretch in their careers, they managed to recover and come into this clash with a streak of consecutive victories.
Jose Aldo lost three consecutive fights between 2019 and 2020, and bounced back to win three consecutive fights prior to this matchup. Dvalishvili, on his part, lost three fights in a row between 2017 and 2018, but has since won six of his past seven fights by unanimous decision.
Bookmakers are calling this the most evenly matched fight of the night and it could go either way, but we’re going with Jose Aldo to continue his hot streak.
Prediction: Jose Aldo (Decision)
[Jose Aldo vs Merab Dvalishvili betting prediction complete].
Tyson Pedro (-833) vs Harry Hunsucker (+550)
Light Heavyweight
Tyson Pedro proved he wasn’t finished in his last performance, defeating Ike Villanueva by KO in April 2022 to end a two-fight losing streak in his career.
This fight against Harry Hunsucker presents itself as a new opportunity to continue recovering for the future, considering that his American opponent has lost three of his last four fights and doesn’t seem to have enough to face him, so a resounding victory for Pedro would not be a surprise.
Prediction Tyson Pedro (KO)
[Tyson Pedro vs Harry Hunsucker betting prediction complete].
Marcin Tybura (+350) vs Alexander Romanov (-455)
Heavyweight
Marcin Tybura enters this bout looking to bounce back after his decision loss in his last fight to Alexander Volkov last October. However, this does not seem like the ideal matchup for it.
Alexander Romanov, who is undefeated in his professional career with a 16-0 record, with five of those wins coming in the UFC, will face him in this match, and we feel he can keep it going.
Prediction: Alexander Romanov (Submission)
[Marcin Tybura vs Alexander Romanov betting prediction complete].
