3 things we learned from UFC 278 press conference
Here is what we can take away from the UFC 278 pre-fight press conference featuring Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards, among others
With a little less than 48 hours to go before the start of the UFC‘s return to Salt Lake City, fight fans and the media got to hear from the participants of UFC 278 one more time before they step into the cage on Saturday night at the pre-fight press conference.
At the press conference were UFC President Dana White, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and title challenger Leon Edwards. Additional participants included co-main event fighters Paulo Costa and Luke Rockhold, as well as Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili, who compete in a bantamweight bout.
Here is what we learned.
3 things we learned from the UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards pre-fight press conference
1. Luke Rockhold letting loose on the microphone
Earlier this week, Luke Rockhold had already made noise at his UFC 278 media day appearance, ripping into UFC President Dana White and the promotion’s connection to the Nelk Boys, as well as some of the media.
Rockhold’s microphone raves continued at the pre-fight press conference, grabbing the most attention through his barbs with his opponent in the evening’s co-main event, Paulo Costa. As part of his ranting, Rockhold accused Costa of being at fault for the bout’s delay due to not wanting the fight.
“I’ll treat Paulo like a b**** if it gets to the ground,” Rockhold said. “He didn’t want to take this fight. The UFC forced it on him. [The fight] has been delayed twice…you little b****, shut up.”
Rockhold, who will be competing in his first fight in three years, additionally slammed Costa for his weight issues after Costa warned him he’d be a monster against “Cool Hand Luke” in the cage.
Costa’s fight with Marvin Vettori back in October 2021 had to get bumped up from middleweight to light heavyweight due to Costa coming into fight week 25 pounds over the middleweight limit.
“The one time you dealt with adversity, you missed weight by 20 f****** pounds,” Rockhold said.
When Rockhold attempted to get Costa to reveal his weight, Costa simply told him “F*** you.”
Rockhold demanded to know Costa's weight ⚖️ 👀 #UFC278 pic.twitter.com/3p5AezhfrZ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 19, 2022
2. Kamaru Usman: How good a fight me vs. Leon Edwards is depends on Edwards’s preparation
UFC 278 will mark Kamaru Usman’s sixth title defense attempt as welterweight champion, but it also marks yet another rematch he’s competing in since becoming 170-pound king. He’s defended the gold twice against Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal.
While he’s never defended the belt against Leon Edwards, Usman and Edwards did meet in Usman’s first fight since winning The Ultimate Fighter season 21. Usman won the fight with fair ease, outstriking Edwards and scoring six takedowns on him. Both men haven’t lost since the encounter (Usman is unbeaten in the UFC, in fact) and have certainly improved in all areas of their game.
When asked about the difficulty of preparing for yet another rematch, Usman explained that he’s not taking Edwards lightly — not just because of his own improvements but because he’s a different kind of fighter.
[All my rematch opponents] are very difficult,” Usman said. “Leon poses a different than Jorge, Colby. I put the work in, I put the preparation in…Saturday night, you’re all in for a treat, Salt Lake City.”
Usman added to his guarantee at the end of the press conference, addressing the crowd on their excitement and expectations for the main event.
“If Leon did his homework, you guys are in for a treat,” Usman told the Salt Lake City crowd. “If he didn’t, there’s a healthy reminder on my neck to show him how to get down.”
3. Jose Aldo guarantees title shot after beating Merab Dvalishvili but won’t commit to UFC 283 in Rio
Jose Aldo has found some newfound success at bantamweight. Despite losing his first two fights at 135, including a fight with Petr Yan at UFC 251 for the vacant championship, Aldo has scored straight victories over Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font.
Aldo, now sitting at No. 3 in the bantamweight rankings, will be taking on the rising Merab Dvalishvili, who has won seven straight and is currently ranked No. 6. What’s also notable about Dvalishvili is he is a friend and teammate to current UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling.
Combined all that with his legendary status, Aldo is confident he will be able to fight for the bantamweight title next with a win on Saturday night.
“I respect Merab a lot. I have the utmost respect for him,” Aldo said. “But I’ve worked for this. You’re going to see everything that I have to offer on Saturday. After that, I’m going to be champion.”
Should Aldo win the fight, it might sound enticing to have him get a title shot at the start of 2023, as the UFC’s first pay-per-view of the incoming new year will be in Rio de Janeiro. It will mark the UFC’s first time in Brazil since the empty-arena Brasilia card and its first time in Rio since UFC 237.
Despite the sound of that idea, Aldo is non-commital to it just yet, wanting to focus on UFC 278 first.
The idea could also be dependent upon UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi this October, where Sterling will defend the bantamweight title against former two-time champ TJ Dillashaw.
Next. 5 of the best (and worst) rematches in UFC history. dark