If SBG coach John Kavanagh is correct, Max Holloway will walk away from UFC 212 the unified featherweight champ.
UFC 212 is right around the corner and with it Jose Aldo’s next attempt to erase the memory of his 13 second defeat at the hands of Conor McGregor. That’s going to be a difficult task given the size of a spotlight that was on him when McGregor felled him with one shot to the jaw, and the relatively small exposure UFC 212 is looking to provide.
“Scarface” is no stranger to creating his own amazing highlight reel finishes, though. The only question is if he can pull one off on interim champ Max Holloway, who has gone on an impressive 10 win streak since his own loss to McGregor. Given the connection, ESPN thought it might be insightful to ask Conor’s coach John Kavanagh how he thought the fight would go…
I’ve been saying this since Conor fought Holloway [in 2013], that I saw him as the No. 1 featherweight. And how he has developed since then has only strengthened that in my head.
I think he will have a unanimous decision over Aldo. Aldo came up through a time when fighters were a lot more one-dimensional than they are now. Aldo’s style is almost perfect against smaller guys who are grappling-based. I don’t believe there is a smaller guy than Aldo in the world, who is grappling based, who could beat him. I’ve actually learned a hell of a lot from watching his fights and he’s pretty much perfect against that kind of opponent.
Where he tends to suffer badly, is against guys who can strike. I would say an early example of that would be the very undersized Mark Hominick [in 2011] and then of course, fast forward on to him against Conor. Now, here he is again, fighting a rangy, striking-based guy who won’t panic because of a few leg kicks. For that reason, it’s going to be fairly — comfortable is a stretch — but it will be fairly unanimous for Holloway. I don’t think there will be any doubt left in how it goes.
There’s a certain amount of weight that you have to give Kavanagh’s words considering he probably spent over a year breaking down Aldo and his style as he and McGregor went through two camps before finally fighting.
That being said, the stuff he says needs to be taken with a grain of salt as well. The last thing Kavanagh or McGregor wants is to return to the UFC and have to face off against a revitalized Aldo. That’s not on account of any cowardice, mind you. The first fight just went so perfectly for them that it would be silly to taint it with a rematch.
That’s just the feeling coming from McGregor’s camp, not any mindset I’m endorsing. And it seems to be something Aldo understands, considering he recently said a rematch “will never happen.” That being said, Jose’s own coach Andre Pederneiras sounded more hopeful recently, saying they had a plan to force a rematch with Conor McGregor.
If the Irish fighter isn’t interested, he better hope Coach Kavanagh is right about Max Holloway.