The term “superfight” is one that just won’t go away in MMA.
There have been a handful of dream matchups teased over the past three years, but none of them have come to fruition. Even the latest potential blockbuster between lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and featherweight king Jose Aldo would be a reboot of a once-scheduled fight that fell apart due to injury.
A pre-title holding “Showtime” was set to meet the Nova Uniao product inside the Octagon at UFC 163 back in August until a knee injury forced him out of the fight. The Duke Roufus-trained fighter bounced back to defeat Benson Henderson at UFC 164 to claim the 155-pound strap and positioned himself at the top of the lightweight division.
As for Aldo, he has continued on his impressive streak of title defenses. The 27-year-old steamrolled Chan Sung Jung who served as the replacement in the main event at UFC 163, then earned a lopsided victory over Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169 on Feb. 1. Shortly after his victory over “The Bully,” talk of a bout with Pettis reignited immediately, with Aldo saying he was down to make the fight happen.
In the weeks that have followed, there have been numerous responses from each camp with the latest coming from Pettis himself during a recent interview with Inside MMA on AXStv. The lightweight champion relayed he was down to fight Aldo and would let the UFC choose what weight the showdown would occur.
Aldo has not tasted defeat since 2005 and has notched 17 consecutive victories in the time since. As for Pettis, he’s won eight of his last nine showings going back to 2010, including a current four-fight winning streak that netted him the lightweight crown.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com