The UFC 156 pay-per-view card had its ups and downs on Saturday night. Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall opened the evening with a fast paced flyweight contest. Demian Maia and Jon Fitch received mixed reviews from the fans. Antonio Silva delivered an adrenaline spike by stopping Alistair Overeem. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera squandered their lead in by playing patty-cake for 15 minutes, and then it was time for the main event, featherweight champion Jose Aldo facing former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
The fight, billed by the promotion and all others that overlooked the fact that Edgar was coming off two consecutive defeats, was being labeled as a “Super Fight.” It wasn’t. But it was a super fight.
Aldo came out fast and showed Edgar that the speed advantage he held as a 155-pounder wasn’t going to transfer to the 145-pound division, as he used his speed to mark Edgar up early in the going landing strikes from distance.
Aldo’s speed advantage faded as the fight wore on. Edgar’s cardio and never-say-die attitude began to show through in the later rounds, but it wasn’t enough to earn him the victory.
The scores may have raised some eyebrows when they were read, but the final outcome was correct—Aldo did win the fight. The victory was the 15th straight win for Aldo and the 12th straight with the WEC/UFC.
What’s next for Aldo is up in the air, as some interesting contenders have begun to emerge in the featherweight division, including Ricardo Lamas, who put a beating on Erik Koch in Chicago last weekend. For Edgar, there are options, including a potential drop to the bantamweight division.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com