Fresh off of his win over Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169, Jose Aldo is finally gearing up for a superfight with lightweight champ Anthony Pettis.
It was another masterful blend of striking and grappling put on display by Aldo Saturday night, as he extended his win streak to 17 and defended the UFC featherweight title for a sixth consecutive time. Lamas fought valiantly and proved himself as a deserving contender, but Aldo continued to operate on a whole other level while forcing the rest of the featherweight division to play catchup.
As with every other great champion, MMA fans are now calling for Aldo to abandon his throne and move up in weight to seek the ultimate prize. The Brazilian has hinted at the idea several times in the past, but after the win over Lamas, all signs appear to be pointing toward a move to lightweight and a highly anticipated superfight with Pettis.
“It’s not only about me. I want the fight, the fans want the fight, so why not? We’re ready to fight, so let’s get this fight,” Aldo said at the UFC 169 post-fight press conference.
UFC president Dana White wasted no time in jumping on the opportunity to verbally seal the deal on what could be the biggest fight of the year.
“Sounds like we got a fight. There you go,” he responded at the post-fight presser. “That was easy. Got that deal done. One more thing I don’t have to do on Monday.”
Pettis has been eyeing a bout with Aldo for over a year now.
The two were slated to fight at 145 pounds for the featherweight title back in August 2013, but Pettis pulled out of the bout after suffering a knee injury. Instead, Aldo ended up defending the title against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, and Pettis went on to defeat Benson Henderson for the lightweight title.
After UFC 169, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported on Twitter that Pettis called White on the phone after the event and asked for a fight with Aldo:
In a strange twist of fate, this was the same way Pettis got the ball moving on this potential superfight last year. He called White on the phone and challenged Aldo after the UFC’s 2013 Super Bowl card.
Will the second time be the charm?
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