FIGHT TIME
Saturday, June 3rd
7:00 PM PST
10:00 PM EST
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Two featherweight champions will do battle to claim the undisputed title and ALL THE BELTS!
Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo, formerly Scarface, currently champion... The legendary featherweight, in fact, the GREATEST featherweight of all time will be gracing the Octagon yet again for his 10th UFC appearance. His record speaks for itself, as do his skills and his former reign of four years and eight title defenses as featherweight champion. His ability to claim the title back in an absolute masterclass against Frankie Edgar (in the Summer of last year) shows he still has the heart of a champion! Aldo has become somewhat forgotten and under rated as of late, an old king who was never appreciated in the Renaissance he brought about.
Aldo gave a name to the smaller weight classes, his destruction of Cub Swanson and Urijah Faber truly put WEC on the map! He was so far beyond everyone in terms of fight IQ and pure striking savagery, and he still is. Coached by Pedro Rizzo for much of his career, Aldo adopted his mentor's most devastating leg kicks and Muay Thai combinations for battle. Rio is surely Aldo's stomping grounds, the people and energy will be on his side the evening of 212.
Max Holloway
Max 'Blessed' Holloway is the 25-year-old young gun who comes into this title fight on a ten fight win streak. He carries a chip on his shoulder as the 'interim' champion, in many interviews, he's said he wants the 'undisputed legacy' as opposed to anything else. His finishes of Cub Swanson and Anthony Pettis showed he is truly championship material, the current state of featherweight has skewed situations...but this is only the fault of a fighter that needs not be mentioned in this article. Regardless, Holloway is an amazing fighter with an abnormally tall frame.
At 5"11 with an endless gas tank, he has volume and lankiness which are a nightmare for fighters who aren't used to fighting bigger men. Holloway will have the shorter reach in this upcoming title bout by one inch, but he will have a four-inch height advantage. Max will stay on point all five rounds, he doesn't stop throwing strikes nor is he afraid to engage in the pocket. He will be ready for an absolute war!
Prediction
A mighty main event this is...to say the least. Aldo vs Holloway has been a fight in the making for a long while, Max had earned his shot arguably four to five wins ago, but he is a warrior and kept knocking down contenders to truly attain what belongs to him. A young man is stepping into Brazil to fight one of the most prolific champions of all time. Not only the homeland of this featherweight champion, but a place where King Aldo has never been defeated... This is a devious fight to call, there are too many factors to register with both men.
Very rarely do we see two rightful champions fighting each other to earn an undisputed title, this has the makings of a classic written all over it. Aldo is still a young man, but in fight years, he is an aged fine wine. Holloway will come into this fight the young and bigger man, he will need to play off that youth and try to bully Aldo with all his weapons. King Aldo is a deceptive counter striker, a compact hitter who will hurt the enemy and lay off only to hurt them again. Both men are very intelligent in the cage, and the only differential at this point is five round experience. Fear an old man in a place where men die young...
Jose Aldo: Unanimous Decision
