"Jose Aldo can't give away any time"- Chael Sonnen gives his prediction for Jose Aldo vs. Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278

Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili collide at UFC 278, and Chael Sonnen has cast his prediction for the contest.

On a recent episode of Beyond The Fight, the former two-division UFC world title challenger touched on the differences, with this one being a three-round affair versus a five-round main event. The fight is positioned just before the co-main event, marking Aldo and Dvalishvili's presence at the pre-fight press conference.

Things are heating up as fight night moves closer, and the collective anticipation for this bantamweight bout can be felt more and more. Explaining how the lack of two extra rounds will affect Aldo's strategy and gameplan, Chael Sonnen said:

"The strategy is very different when you have three rounds. Jose Aldo can't give away any time. Jose Aldo's got those combinations. He can come to the head, he can touch you on the liver, he can chop you to the leg. But he has got to find those spots. He can't go look for them. He has to find them right now."

He continued:

"He cannot use the first round as feeling out process or as a way to slow a guy down or as a way to measure a guy. Anything that you've ever heard an announcer say for a boring part. He can't do any of that stuff, he's got to win right now. That's generally harder to do on a younger guy."

'The Bad Guy' went on to state that he's picking Merab Dvalishvili to emerge victorious against the living legend.

Watch Sonnen's full video below:

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Jose Aldo's path to a bantamweight title shot

The former WEC and UFC featherweight world champion may be well positioned for a crack at the UFC bantamweight title with a strong win here. Aldo's quest to become a two-division UFC world champion will be decided by how the next couple of months play out.

Aljamain Sterling will defend his title against No.2-ranked T.J. Dillashaw. Sterling vs. Dillashaw will serve as the co-main event of UFC 280 on October 22 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

No.1-ranked contender Petr Yan is lined up to next face the No.13-ranked Sean O'Malley. Yan vs. O'Malley also takes place at UFC 280, and the card is enormous for how the bantamweight hierarchy looks entering 2023.

Aldo is presently the No.3-ranked contender in the UFC at 135 pounds, and Dvalishvili is positioned at No.6. The winner of their fight may find themselves in a title eliminator down the line.