When featherweight champion Jose Aldo (23-1) squares off against Ricardo Lamas (13-2) on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Prudential Center in the co-main event of the UFC 169 pay-per-view, the MMA world will be focused on this marquee title fight.
Since winning the WEC Featherweight Championship from Mike Brown in 2009, Aldo has reigned supreme over the division, and he helped it make the transition over to the UFC in 2011.
Aldo successfully defended the title seven consecutive times and has won 16 straight fights.
Lamas is in serious trouble.
Here is all the vital viewing and betting information for UFC 169 and a full preview of this featherweight fight.
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, N.J.
When: Saturday, Feb 1 at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: Pay-per-view
Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass
Aldo vs. Lamas Preview and Prediction
Jose Aldo is one of the most dangerous fighters in the world today. While Ricardo Lamas deserves immense credit for putting himself in a position to earn a title fight, he is outmatched in this bout and will suffer.
Aldo will be looking for yet another TKO victory.
Lamas has earned four straight wins since joining the UFC in June of 2011, but he has not faced a challenger with the power, speed and aggressiveness Aldo possesses. While elite wrestling and striking skills make Lamas a dangerous fighter, the champion has proved his ability to counter even the best offensive game plans.
A fighter doesn’t win 16 straight bouts without being the best in his weight class and one of the pound-for-pound toughest men in the world, and Aldo has been both for a long time.
The knock on Lamas has been the lack of elite competition he faced to earn his title shot, but there is no question about the caliber of fighters Aldo has taken down over the last several years.
From Frankie Edgar to Chad Mendes to Kenny Florian to Urijah Faber, every challenger who has stepped into the Octagon with Aldo has been defeated. As the inaugural UFC featherweight champion, Aldo does not want to relinquish the prize.
Using his powerful striking and unique mixture of muay thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Aldo will bully Lamas around the cage while avoiding his challenger’s takedown attempts.
It will be just a matter of time before Lamas gets too aggressive and Aldo makes him pay.
Predicted Winner: Aldo via third-round TKO.
*Stats via UFC.com. Betting information via Bovada.lv.
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