UFC 237 results: Alexander Volkanovski methodically outpoints Jose Aldo

If a finish of Chad Mendes in his last fight somehow didn’t convince you Alexander Volkanovski is “The Next One” in the featherweight division, maybe a win over Jose Aldo in Brazil will do the trick.

Volkanovski (20-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) went into the lion’s den in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night against the former longtime UFC and WEC featherweight champion and stuck to a smart game plan in order to earn a unanimous-decision victory at UFC 237.

The judges’ scores were 30-27 across the board as the Australian won his 17th consecutive bout and stayed undefeated in the UFC.

“I’m next in line 100 percent,” Volkanovski said. “I’m the only one who is undefeated in the top three now. I should be number one.”

In a fight contested entirely in the standup, Volkanovski set the tone early. He methodically landed inside leg kicks over the course of the opening round. Aldo (28-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) found some success with body shots in close, but Volkanovski shut Aldo down with grappling whenever there was a sign of potential danger.

The second round was more or less a repeat of the first. In the third, Aldo seemed to get that he was behind on the cards and looked to be head-hunting for the finish, but Volkanovski’s volume offense kept Aldo from ever getting untracked.

Aldo’s loss was the first decision defeat of his career and snapped a two-fight win streak.

The featherweight bout was part of the UFC 237 main card from Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro and streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 237 results include

• Alexander Volkanovski def. Jose Aldo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Laureano Staropoli def. Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Irene Aldana def. Bethe Correia via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 3:24

• Ryan Spann def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:07
• Thiago Moises def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
• Warlley Alves def. Sergio Moraes via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 4:13
• Clay Guida def. B.J. Penn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
• Luana Carolina def. Priscila Cachoeira via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
• Raoni Barcelos def. Carlos Huachin via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:49
• Viviane Araujo def. Talita Bernardo via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:48

For more on UFC 237, check out the UFC Events section of the site.