If he had a choice, Jose Aldo would likely love to compete in his native Brazil for every fight. His home country has been the scene of some of his greatest triumphs, including his first-round TKO of Chad Mendes at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro.
But for his upcoming superfight against the Rocky Balboa of MMA, Frankie Edgar, he’s returning to another familiar territory—Las Vegas, Nevada:
“I would have liked it to be in Brazil because of the fan factor. Everybody rooting for us is a very important factor,” Aldo told MMA Junkie. “But Las Vegas is going to be great. I know there’s going to be a very large fanbase, and of course I grew up watching all the boxing fights in Las Vegas. It has a special charm in it for me.”
Edgar, who relinquished his 155-pound title to Benson Henderson in a closely-fought contest in February last year, is dropping down to featherweight for the first time. Both he and Aldo are, in their own rights, considered two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and their meeting is being promoted as a superfight.
The fact that it’s taking place over Super Bowl weekend in early February holds special significance for the Brazilian.
“The Super Bowl is a very important championship,” Aldo said. “The whole world is tuned in. For me to be able to fight on that weekend is absolutely amazing.”
Still, he is unlikely to meet the same kind of rapturous and overwhelming support in the stadium in Vegas as he did in his fight against Mendes last year. In that fight, after finishing his opponent, the jubilant Aldo ran into the arms of a 12-thousand strong crowd in an unprecedented scene, marking his 21st career victory.
The UFC was, initially, eager to revisit that site for the Edgar fight, having lined up Rio de Janeiro once again for their contest at UFC 153 this past October. But a motorcycle injury in September left Aldo sidelined for months, and the new venue of Las Vegas, where Aldo captured the WEC featherweight title in 2009, had been booked.
There is no doubt that, despite the travelling Brazilian fans, Vegas will be more hostile territory. Edgar is a fan favourite, and he will likely be carried through the night by a partisan crowd.
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