Jose Aldo unfortunately put forth what was by far the worst performance of his legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) career when Irish megastar Conor McGregor knocked him out with one fateful left hand in the main event of December 12s UFC 194 from Las Vegas. However, apart from the surprisingly swift nature of his
Jose Aldo unfortunately put forth what was by far the worst performance of his legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) career when Irish megastar Conor McGregor knocked him out with one fateful left hand in the main event of December 12s UFC 194 from Las Vegas.
However, apart from the surprisingly swift nature of his loss, Aldo simply won’t accept any other fight except for a rematch or some form of championship bout. The decorated former champion was undefeated for an unprecedented 10 years, and based on those merits, he told Irish site Independent.ie that the plan was for him to rematch McGregor, so he won’t take another bout unless it’s for the belt:
“That was the idea [re-match] when the fight was over. If someone asks me what I want, it’s the rematch, of course. I don’t see another fight for me besides a title fight or a rematch.”
While it could be quite some time before McGregor defends his featherweight belt given that he’s moved up to lightweight to take on champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of March 5’s UFC 197, Aldo could also be slated for a rematch for the title with Frankie Edgar if the ‘Notorious’ decides to stay put at 155.
The whole situation of allowing McGregor to hold onto the featherweight belt and fight for another title a weight class up has never been allowed in the UFC up until now, and Aldo’s head coach and longtime trainer Andre Pederneiras is understandably upset by it.
Jump to the next page to find out how Nova Uniao’s headman blasted the UFC….
(“Okay, forget the shoving thing, I’ve got a better way to promote us. Have you ever seen the music videos of this man Weird Al?” / Photo by Leandro Lima)
In a regrettable instance of an MMA fighter breaking kayfabe, UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo went on record yesterday saying that his unsolicited shove of Chad Mendes earlier this week was only done to hype their fight. I know, I know…ShockedJohnCena.gif.
Here’s what Aldo said to local media (via MMAFighting), following a faceoff with Mendes in Sao Paulo on Wednesday that did not result in shoving:
“We were talking to Andre (Pederneiras) in a meeting about how we could improve our fight promotions. It’s part of the show. But I told Andre after (the staredown) that it’s not my style,” Aldo said. “It was not staged, we were talking (trash) to each other and it happened. … We (Aldo and Pederneiras) tried to spice things up, but that’s it…
“I’ve never pushed anyone during a staredown before,” he said. “I should behave better. I’m not saying I regret it. We did it, it was good. There was a good thing about it that people are now talking about it, but it’s not who I am. It won’t happen again.”
(“Okay, forget the shoving thing, I’ve got a better way to promote us. Have you ever seen the music videos of this man Weird Al?” / Photo by Leandro Lima)
In a regrettable instance of an MMA fighter breaking kayfabe, UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo went on record yesterday saying that his unsolicited shove of Chad Mendes earlier this week was only done to hype their fight. I know, I know…ShockedJohnCena.gif.
Here’s what Aldo said to local media (via MMAFighting), following a faceoff with Mendes in Sao Paulo on Wednesday that did not result in shoving:
“We were talking to Andre (Pederneiras) in a meeting about how we could improve our fight promotions. It’s part of the show. But I told Andre after (the staredown) that it’s not my style,” Aldo said. “It was not staged, we were talking (trash) to each other and it happened. … We (Aldo and Pederneiras) tried to spice things up, but that’s it…
“I’ve never pushed anyone during a staredown before,” he said. “I should behave better. I’m not saying I regret it. We did it, it was good. There was a good thing about it that people are now talking about it, but it’s not who I am. It won’t happen again.”
Oh, people are talking about it, all right. Mainly, they’re talking about how clearly pre-meditated the shove was — and how rivalries only generate fan-interest if they appear genuine. But obvious fakery aside, it’s still a poor promotional strategy for Aldo to tell everybody that his shove was all part of the show, before the show even happened. Because whatever small amount of heat that Aldo created when he put his hands on Chad Mendes has now been exterminated like the proverbial hemorrhoid pad on a matchstick.
Bottom line: If you’re going to pretend to hate your opponent, at least commit to the role for more than a day. Otherwise, you have nothing to look forward to but more disappointing buyrates.
(“Tell you what…if Pettis wins, we can give him that Bellator belt as a souvenir.” Photo via UpperBrazil.com)
For UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, the prospect of a super-fight against lightweight champion Anthony Pettis sounds like a pretty damn good idea — except for that part where Aldo would have to give up his belt to take the fight. That part kind of sucks. And so, Aldo’s coach and manager Andre Pederneiras has suggested a solution: A 150-pound catchweight fight where nobody’s title is on the line. Essentially, a meaningless exhibition. Wouldn’t that be fun?
“(A catchweight) would be interesting for both,” Pederneiras told Ta na Area. “They would keep the belts and do the fight everybody wants to see. Nobody wants to take the other’s title, we want to see the fight and do a great show for everybody. Aldo would move up a little, Pettis cuts a little, and it’s good for everybody.”
“Nobody wants to take the other’s title?” What kind of pussified patty-cake bullshit is this? Why wouldn’t Aldo want to become the third two-division champion in UFC history? Why fight Anthony Pettis at all, if a title wasn’t on the line? And how on Earth is this “good for everybody” if it requires Pettis to cut extra weight for a non-title fight?
Clearly, the Aldo camp has gotten cold feet about vacating the featherweight title to pursue a matchup they might not win. And as you can imagine, nobody’s jumping out of their seats to take Pederneiras up on his offer:
(“Tell you what…if Pettis wins, we can give him that Bellator belt as a souvenir.” Photo via UpperBrazil.com)
For UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, the prospect of a super-fight against lightweight champion Anthony Pettis sounds like a pretty damn good idea — except for that part where Aldo would have to give up his belt to take the fight. That part kind of sucks. And so, Aldo’s coach and manager Andre Pederneiras has suggested a solution: A 150-pound catchweight fight where nobody’s title is on the line. Essentially, a meaningless exhibition. Wouldn’t that be fun?
“(A catchweight) would be interesting for both,” Pederneiras told Ta na Area. “They would keep the belts and do the fight everybody wants to see. Nobody wants to take the other’s title, we want to see the fight and do a great show for everybody. Aldo would move up a little, Pettis cuts a little, and it’s good for everybody.”
“Nobody wants to take the other’s title?” What kind of pussified patty-cake bullshit is this? Why wouldn’t Aldo want to become the third two-division champion in UFC history? Why fight Anthony Pettis at all, if a title wasn’t on the line? And how on Earth is this “good for everybody” if it requires Pettis to cut extra weight for a non-title fight?
Clearly, the Aldo camp has gotten cold feet about vacating the featherweight title to pursue a matchup they might not win. And as you can imagine, nobody’s jumping out of their seats to take Pederneiras up on his offer:
“We’re interested in Anthony defending his belt against the top guys at 155,” said Pettis’s manager Mike Roberts today. “If Aldo doesn’t want to fight for the belt, we’ll fight someone else.”
It’s not like there’s a shortage of lightweight challengers who actually want to fight Pettis at 155 pounds, so Pederneiras won’t get very far trying to get cute with this catchweight stuff. In fact, as soon as two rival camps start bickering about weight classes, that’s when you know that a super-fight isn’t going to happen. (See also: Rousey vs. Cyborg.) So thanks a lot, Andre. You’re banned too, now.
Maybe it’s just me, but everytime it seems like this thing we call MMA is finally on the right track towards honest-to-God legitimacy, Jose Canseco shows up, or the UFC signs a yoga instructor(‘s death warrant), or some shit like this happens and we’re back to square one.
Begin the SMH’ing, because some Brazilian website is reporting that Shooto, one of Brazil’s longest and (formerly) most prestigious MMA organizations, is planning a man vs. woman fight at this weekend’s Shooto Brazil 45. Specifically, Nova Uniao product Emerson Falcao vs. Team Nogueira’s Juliana Velasquez. Who will be making her professional debut.
I…I just can’t anymore, you guys. Wiping my hands of this whole thing.
And who came up with this fucking ree-dick-you-lus idea, you ask? Oh, just Andre Pederneiras, the legendary Uniao founder/trainer who has seemed like a relatively intelligent individual up until this point. Maybe he knows something we don’t. In any case, here’s the scoop, as Velasquez told MMAFighting:
God damn it, you guys. God. Damn. It.
Maybe it’s just me, but everytime it seems like this thing we call MMA is finally on the right track towards honest-to-God legitimacy, Jose Canseco shows up, or the UFC signs a yoga instructor(‘s death warrant), or some shit like this happens and we’re back to square one.
Begin the SMH’ing, because some Brazilian website is reporting that Shooto, one of Brazil’s longest and (formerly) most prestigious MMA organizations, is planning a man vs. woman fight at this weekend’s Shooto Brazil 45. Specifically, Nova Uniao product Emerson Falcao vs. Team Nogueira’s Juliana Velasquez. Who will be making her professional debut.
I…I just can’t anymore, you guys. Wiping my hands of this whole thing.
And who came up with this fucking ree-dick-you-lus idea, you ask? Oh, just Andre Pederneiras, the legendary Uniao founder/trainer who has seemed like a relatively intelligent individual up until this point. Maybe he knows something we don’t. In any case, here’s the scoop, as Velasquez told MMAFighting:
Andre Pederneiras came up with the idea. He asked Team Nogueira for a female fighter and my team believes I’m ready, so I accepted the challenge. My expectations are the best. I’m well trained to get there and win.
I’m used to training with man every day. I’m a professional judoka and I know the adrenaline of the competition, I know how to handle this.
Look, it’s not like a woman can’t beat a man in an MMA fight. Ediane Gomes did it. Cyborg Santos probably does it on weekends for kicks. But there’s just something about this whole idea that seems so…
[UPDATE]
(via MMAFighting) Thank the heavens, this thing might not actually be happening:
Osiris Maia, member of the Brazilian Mixed Martial Arts Confederation, the entity responsible for regulating the Shooto Brazil events, is not sure if they will allow the male vs. female fight to happen.
“There’s nothing in the rules that specific prohibits a man to fight a woman, but when you interpret the rules you know that both athletes must be in the same level, so there’s no way a man should be allowed to fight a woman,” Maia told MMAFighting.com.
“We haven’t received the official card yet from the promotion, we’ll get that (on Thursday) at the weigh-ins,” he continued. “I wasn’t informed about that yet. They announced it to the media only, but if you ask me if we’re allowing it to happen, I don’t think so. I think it’s a disparity. We’ll see what’s going on tomorrow at the weigh-ins.”
Well, it’s good to know that there’s at least one sane individual in all of Brazil who will at least wait until the weigh-ins to call this sham off. The little victories, Nation. The little victories.
We will have more on this story travesty as details are made available.
(And to think, if the guy on the left had won, we’d have a new outright champion by now. Photo via Getty.)
October 1st will mark the two year anniversary (?) of the last time we saw bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz defend his title in the octagon. Multiple ACL tears and a rejected cadaver ligament transplant have seen the once dominant champion sidelined ever since his 2011 battle with now flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. As such, the bantamweight division has been stuck in a perpetual state of limbo, frustrating fans, fighters and most importantly, Dominick Cruz.
But perhaps the only person more frustrated by Cruz’s arduous road to recovery than the champ himself is interim title holder Renan Barao, who recently became the first fighter in UFC history to defend said title twice (via a second round KO of Eddie Wineland at UFC 165). Actually, Barao is the first fighter in UFC history to ever defend an interim belt. Unfortunately, the Brazilian isn’t seeing many benefits of being the closest thing to a champion his division has seen in a dog’s age.
That’s at least, according to Nova Uniao head trainer Andre Pederneiras, who recently appeared on MMAJunkie radio to discuss Barao’s current predicament:
He’s very frustrated because he needs to make money. So many sponsors here in Brazil are not sponsoring him because he’s not the real champion from the UFC. He’s the interim champion. He’s losing money every day.
The sponsors here want a real champion. A linear champion.
(And to think, if the guy on the left had won, we’d have a new outright champion by now. Photo via Getty.)
October 1st will mark the two year anniversary (?) of the last time we saw bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz defend his title in the octagon. Multiple ACL tears and a rejected cadaver ligament transplant have seen the once dominant champion sidelined ever since his 2011 battle with now flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. As such, the bantamweight division has been stuck in a perpetual state of limbo, frustrating fans, fighters and most importantly, Dominick Cruz.
But perhaps the only person more frustrated by Cruz’s arduous road to recovery than the champ himself is interim title holder Renan Barao, who recently became the first fighter in UFC history to defend said title twice (via a second round KO of Eddie Wineland at UFC 165). Actually, Barao is the first fighter in UFC history to ever defend an interim belt. Unfortunately, the Brazilian isn’t seeing many benefits of being the closest thing to a champion his division has seen in a dog’s age.
That’s at least, according to Nova Uniao head trainer Andre Pederneiras, who recently appeared on MMAJunkie radio to discuss Barao’s current predicament:
He’s very frustrated because he needs to make money. So many sponsors here in Brazil are not sponsoring him because he’s not the real champion from the UFC. He’s the interim champion. He’s losing money every day.
The sponsors here want a real champion. A linear champion.
We’ve seen several message boards around the MMA blogosphere making the case that, had Urijah Faber defeated Barao at UFC 149, he would have arguably been promoted to outright champion by now. Why? Because although Barao being champion would clearly be more profitable for Barao, a well known, *American* star like Faber being champion would be far more profitable for the UFC. It would fuel the already heated rivalry between Cruz and Faber, it would give the UFC an opportunity to promote a champion, etc. Cruz would have been able to cash in that lottery ticket he missed out on at UFC 148, so to speak.
Just an observation.
But there is hope, as “The Dominator” is currently eyeing a February 2014 return. It’s a timetable that Pederneiras and company are eager to see come to fruition. Otherwise, well…
I don’t want another opponent. I want to make the fight happen by February, or I need to talk to Dana to take his belt, because more than two-and-a-half years, I don’t understand. But he said he was probably going to be fighting in February.
I’ve been waiting for that and praying every day for it to happen. Renan wants to fight Dominick.
(Alright BJ, now that you’ve kicked your training camp up a notch, it’s time to fire your dietician.)
Before B.J. Penn joined the UFC and became a multi-division champion and future hall of famer, he received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Nova Uniao’s head coach, Andre Pederneiras. Now, as Penn plans his come back fight against Frankie Edgar in 2014, the fighter has asked Pederneiras to help prepare him.
Pederneiras coaches featherweight champion Jose Aldo, so he has experience preparing for Edgar. “We’ve studied Edgar’s game a lot for Aldo’s fight,” he said, according to MMA Fighting‘s Guilherme Cruz.
“So I believe there’s no better place and sparring’s better for B.J. to come back in great fashion and motivated.”
Details are not official but Pederneiras says that he wants Penn to conduct his training camp in Rio where he can train with the likes of Aldo and bantamweight champion Renan Barao. This is an interesting piece of news, though it may be premature to assume anything about what Penn will do just yet.
First off, we were under the impression that Penn was told he’d get a chance to fight for the featherweight title if he were to beat Edgar, as they are doing the bout at 145 pounds. Their first two fights were lightweight title affairs. That seemed dubious at first precisely because of Penn’s connection to Aldo’s Nova Uniao’s team. It seems unlikely that Pederneiras would prepare Penn to become the #1 contender to his prize pupil’s title.
(Alright BJ, now that you’ve kicked your training camp up a notch, it’s time to fire your dietician.)
Before B.J. Penn joined the UFC and became a multi-division champion and future hall of famer, he received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Nova Uniao’s head coach, Andre Pederneiras. Now, as Penn plans his come back fight against Frankie Edgar in 2014, the fighter has asked Pederneiras to help prepare him.
Pederneiras coaches featherweight champion Jose Aldo, so he has experience preparing for Edgar. “We’ve studied Edgar’s game a lot for Aldo’s fight,” he said, according to MMA Fighting‘s Guilherme Cruz.
“So I believe there’s no better place and sparring’s better for B.J. to come back in great fashion and motivated.”
Details are not official but Pederneiras says that he wants Penn to conduct his training camp in Rio where he can train with the likes of Aldo and bantamweight champion Renan Barao. This is an interesting piece of news, though it may be premature to assume anything about what Penn will do just yet.
First off, we were under the impression that Penn was told he’d get a chance to fight for the featherweight title if he were to beat Edgar, as they are doing the bout at 145 pounds. Their first two fights were lightweight title affairs. That seemed dubious at first precisely because of Penn’s connection to Aldo’s Nova Uniao’s team. It seems unlikely that Pederneiras would prepare Penn to become the #1 contender to his prize pupil’s title.
Sure, Edgar already made the move down but Penn is still the major drawing name in this match up and if he wants to fight at lightweight, we’re betting the UFC will accommodate him. Now, there’s no reason that the 5’9 Penn couldn’t make 145 pounds simply by living healthy, dieting down slightly and cutting a little water weight right before the fight.
Heck, there’s no reason Penn couldn’t have done that his entire career. But he never did.
For whatever reason, probably because he is good enough to get away with it, Penn never thought it necessary to do what most other fighters do and that is eat well to stay around a weight that would allow them to fight in a weight class where they are best suited. Instead, he fought at lightweight, welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight.
Is Penn committed enough to do what is necessary to fight at featherweight now, in his mid-thirties? Perhaps.
He doesn’t have anything to prove and has taken a lot of damage throughout his career, so this writer is still not on board with the idea of him coming back to begin with. More cynical members of the CP staff are dubious that this fight will materialize at all, regardless the weight it is supposed to be contested at (Ed note: But especially at featherweight.)
Do you think the TUF curse will catch up with either Edgar or Penn, nation? And do you think that Penn will overcome the poi curse that has afflicted him throughout his career and make featherweight?
On a related note, does anyone know where a brotha can get some good poi in the Midwest?
