Brendan Schaub says the UFC made a mistake by having Jose Aldo fight Merab Dvalishvili in his final bout
Did the UFC make a mistake by having Jose Aldo face Merab Dvalishvili?
Brendan Schaub isn’t happy that Jose Aldo’s final MMA fight will come against Merab Dvalishvili.
At UFC 278, Aldo was taking on Dvalishvili in a crucial bantamweight scrap that if the Brazilian one, he could’ve gotten a title shot. However, Dvalishvili was able to just push him against the cage and win a lackluster decision. After the fight, Dvalishvili claimed Aldo told him he was retiring and now it has been made official and for Schaub, he says the promotion should’ve never booked that fight.
“I think retirement is probably the best move because for him, to get back to you know…He’s a guy who fights for championships. And you know…he had a rough patch from 2019-2020, last three in a row. He lost to Volkanovski…Marlon Moraes and Petr Yan. So, then he goes on this three-fight win streak. He beats Chito, Pedro Munhoz, Rob Font…and his team really f***ed up taking that Merab fight,” Schaub said on his podcast. “This was the finale and then you toss him in there. There was Merab character who’s just a nightmare of a matchup for him where he could have waited, probably get a title shot. They would have sent him off the right way. I much prefer Jose Aldo to fight for the title and then retire.”
Of course, it wasn’t known before the fight that this would be Jose Aldo’s final fight and if it was announced, perhaps Dvalishvili wouldn’t be his foe and they would’ve waited for the Brazil card in January.
With Aldo retiring, he ends his career with a record of 31-8, and prior to the loss to Dvalishvili, he beat Rob Font, Pedro Munhoz, and Marlon Vera to pick up his only bantamweight wins. His 135lbs tenure started off with a controversial loss over Marlon Moraes while then losing by TKO to Petr Yan for the belt.
