José Aldo
Upside With Win: Big. Although he probably wouldn’t rise beyond his current No. 3 ranking, a victory Saturday will give “The King of Rio” a really strong case to take on the winner of UFC 280’s Sterling vs Dillashaw title bout in an increasingly crowded bantamweight field.
Downside With Loss: Also big. Tumbling back to number five or six would see the 35-year-old former featherweight champ looking up at the likes of Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw, Cory Sandhagen, Marlon Vera, Aljamain Sterling and his UFC 278 opponent, Merab Dvalishvili.
Merab Dvalishvili
Upside With Win: Very big. On the strength on a seven-fight win streak, “The Machine” already boasts a pretty good argument for a title shot. Definitively beating a fighter with Aldo’s pedigree would arguably be the icing on the cake.
PHOTO GALLERY: Merab Dvalisvhili Prepares For UFC 278 In Salt Lake City
Downside With Loss: Modest. A loss by Dvalishvili Saturday and a win by Song Yadong September 17 vs Cory Sandhagen could potentially push the Georgian down a couple spots, but his aforementioned win streak should be enough to secure another top-ranked opponent that would keep him in the mix.
