If you remember nothing else about WEC 48’s Jose Aldo-Urijah Faber main event besides the leg kicks and the loss Faber sustained, you’ll remember it as something of the catalyst for the Aldo we see right now.
Aldo attempted his share of takedowns and significantly out-struck Faber, including the left kicks that encouraged Faber’s camp to help him stick around for the post-fight press conference with Joe Rogan, but Aldo’s UFC 142 foe Chad “Money” Mendes seems convinced that Aldo will not go 2-0 against Team Alpha Male fighters.
“For me I can figure out what I can and can’t do [best] when I’m in the cage competing,” he told MMA Junkie. “I definitely gained a lot of confidence in that fight (with Yahya). And I learned a lot by watching Aldo’s fight, too.”
Never fault a Team Alpha Male fighter for being confident; however, he must remember the one thing he never talked about from Aldo’s fight with Faber:
The leg kicks Aldo landed, despite what Faber might say, paid their dividends to Faber’s decision to go to Bantamweight, and if he could do that to Faber, what makes Mendes think that his wrestling game will be enough?
If anything, Mendes’ explosive shots could be the opening that Aldo needs to re-introduce MMA fans to himself and flat-line Mendes’ title hopes with either an uppercut, a hook, a sprawl followed by Aldo’s choice of choke-hold, or an old favorite in the form of Aldo’s infamous flying knees.
Mendes believe that he will succeed where Adlo falters, but is that hype or is that a heavily budding truth?
Until Mendes takes action against Aldo, it might be safer to assume that where Faber fell, Mendes might plummet—but if Mendes wants to prove that theory wrong, he can bring twenty-five minutes worth of beat-down to Brazil on January 14th and see how lucky he feels when he’s across the cage from Aldo.
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