Jose Aldo hasn’t competed since surrendering his title via third round TKO to Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 212 last month from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but it looks as if he’s begun thinking about his return to action. Recently speaking with MMAFighting.com on the topic, Aldo revealed that highly ranked Cub […]
Jose Aldo hasn’t competed since surrendering his title via third round TKO to Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 212 last month from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but it looks as if he’s begun thinking about his return to action.
Recently speaking with MMAFighting.com on the topic, Aldo revealed that highly ranked Cub Swanson could be an ‘option’ as an opponent for his next bout:
“Yes, Cub is an option,” Aldo said. “I think the ranking continues the same, there’s nowhere to run. Cub is well ranked, especially to be a challenge for me. Frankie (Edgar) will probably fight Max, so we can fight and a new contender will emerge.”
Aldo and Swanson first met at WEC 41 back in 2009 in a bout that Aldo won in just eight seconds with a devastating flying knee. Given each fighter’s place in the current featherweight rankings, however, it’s a rematch that makes sense.
And while this fight could certainly determine the next 145-pound title challenger, Aldo claims that he isn’t thinking about the belt at the moment:
“First of all, I still don’t think about fighting for the belt or not,” he said. “I think it has restarted for me. It’s in the past. It’s like if I was entering the division again. I want to come back to fighting, come back to winning, and then we can sit down and talk to see where I am.”
As far as how that fight would play out, Aldo recognizes the fact that both him and Swanson have changed since their first meeting many years ago. Currently, Swanson has won four straight since losing to Holloway, with those victories coming over the likes of Hacran Diaz, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Doo Hoo Choi, and Artem Lobov.
Aldo said that the rematch would be a ‘new fight’ with a ‘new story’:
“Both athletes changed a lot (since that fight),” Aldo said. “It will be a new fight, a new story. I respect everything he’s been doing in the UFC, and we have to train a lot to face a really tough opponent.”
Jose Aldo isn’t opposed to fighting Cub Swanson to determine a new number one contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title. Current champion Max Holloway is expected to defend his gold against Frankie Edgar later this year. That would leave Aldo and Swanson without a fight for the remainder of 2017. Speaking to […]
Jose Aldo isn’t opposed to fighting Cub Swanson to determine a new number one contender for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title. Current champion Max Holloway is expected to defend his gold against Frankie Edgar later this year. That would leave Aldo and Swanson without a fight for the remainder of 2017. Speaking to […]
No one can dispute that 2017 has been a down year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship thus far. There have been a few bright spots like UFC 211 and the highly anticipated battle between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway at UFC 212, but they largely been overshadowed by mediocre Fight Night cards, some with head […]
No one can dispute that 2017 has been a down year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship thus far.
There have been a few bright spots like UFC 211 and the highly anticipated battle between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway at UFC 212, but they largely been overshadowed by mediocre Fight Night cards, some with head scratching main events.
Things are finally looking up with the McGregor vs. Mayweather super-fight getting finalized. Next month’s UFC 213 also looks outstanding, with two title fights and a bevy of other exciting scraps.
But before the good times start rolling again, there will be another entry to the crappy event list added this weekend. With that in mind, let’s look back at the eight worst bookings of 2017 so far.
1. UFC Fight Night 103: Penn vs. Rodriguez
No list of cringe-worthy bookings would be complete without the epic mismatch between dynamic rising featherweight star Yair Rodriguez and all-time great BJ Penn. The two were set to do battle at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 15, but it wasn’t much of a fight.
Penn was making his return to fighting after a two-and-a-half-year retirement, taking his second-ever fight at featherweight. Various opponent switches, injuries, and suspensions delayed his return by nearly a year, and left him with “Pantera” as his comeback foe. Rodriguez, meanwhile, was undefeated in the UFC and regarded as one of the most promising prospects in the 145-pound division.
Penn looked better initially than he had in his last fight, an embarrassing and perplexing third loss to Frankie Edgar. But the positives wouldn’t last long. The high-flying “Pantera” hurt Penn with a kick to the body in the first round that seemed to sap the Hawaiian’s resolve. Free to unleash the full breadth of his arsenal, Rodriguez teed off, nearly finishing Penn at the end of the frame.
He would mop up Penn early in the second. Another kick dropped “The Prodigy”, and Rodriguez finished him off with ground and pound. The victory gave the exciting young Mexican the most high-profile scalp of his career but did little to test him. It also served as a humiliating setback for Penn. It was a predictable outcome that nevertheless did little to elevate either fighter, more sad than anything else.
2. UFC 208: Holm vs. De Randamie
The premiere MMA organization’s debut in Brooklyn was supposed to be a watershed moment for New York MMA and the UFC. Instead, it was a roundly mocked debacle.
With Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey on the sidelines for 2017, the UFC needed (and still needs) all of the star power it can acquire or manufacture. One star that had shown promise as a draw, particularly in her native Brazil, was Cris “Cyborg” Justino. The former Strikeforce and Invicta FC featherweight champion had two catchweight bouts in the UFC, winning each by first-round knockout, and the company planned to launch its own women’s 145-pound division to showcase her talents.
But negotiations with the cagey “Cyborg” broke down, with the Brazilian insisting that she would not be ready to fight on the Brooklyn card. Frustrated with Justino, and needing a headliner for the pay-per-view (PPV) UFC 208, the UFC brass decided to move forward with their featherweight plans without her.
Enter former bantamweight champion Holly Holm and fellow kickboxing champ Germaine de Randamie. The UFC hoped to cash in on the notoriety Holm still possessed following her earth-shattering knockout of Rousey, despite the fact that she had lost two straight since. De Randamie had little star power of her own. She simply had the good fortune of being a big bantamweight coming off a win with a striking-oriented style that would (in theory) provide a favorable matchup for Holm.
Fans and pundits jeered the fight and the card in general. A UFC women’s featherweight championship fight that did not involve “Cyborg” was laughable; the winner would never be regarded as the best 145er with Justino still lurking.
The fight and its aftermath only served to intensify the mockery. De Randamie won a controversial decision marred by multiple fouls for striking Holm after the bell, fouls that were not punished by the referee. She has since ducked and then flat out refused to accept “Cyborg” has her first challenger, risking having the belt stripped.
Max Holloway is down to defend his title against anyone, that includes Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson. Both Edgar and Swanson have been pleading their case to be next in line for a shot at Holloway’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight gold. “Blessed” has heard both men make their arguments and feels ready for either […]
Max Holloway is down to defend his title against anyone, that includes Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson. Both Edgar and Swanson have been pleading their case to be next in line for a shot at Holloway’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight gold. “Blessed” has heard both men make their arguments and feels ready for either […]
Earlier this month (June 3, 2017), Jose Aldo surrendered his featherweight title in the main event of UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, suffering a third round TKO loss to Max Holloway. Aldo had success in the first two rounds landing big shots, but after the bout many had wondered why the Brazilian strayed […]
Earlier this month (June 3, 2017), Jose Aldo surrendered his featherweight title in the main event of UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, suffering a third round TKO loss to Max Holloway.
Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports
Aldo had success in the first two rounds landing big shots, but after the bout many had wondered why the Brazilian strayed away from using his patented leg kicks.
According to his longtime coach Andre Pederneiras, Aldo had suffered a leg injury in training that limited his attack:
“Every fight the athlete enters he has some kind of injury, and Aldo is no different, he has his,” Pederneiras told FOX Fight Club (Via MMFighting.com) Many people asked why he didn’t kick. Aldo has a leg injury, so he couldn’t throw kicks or run during his entire camp. That doesn’t take anything away from Max Holloway’s win, we don’t want to say that. We would go back between rounds and the crowd said ‘tell him to kick,’ but we, the cornermen, were the only aware of it. We avoided the kicks because of this injury. We were afraid it would strain his muscle. We could train his kicks a bit in the last week, but we didn’t force it too much. We believed that, the way he was going (in training), he would be able to win with his boxing. And that was happening.”
While Aldo is a vicious striker, Holloway is also well-versed on the feet, which is why many expected Aldo to possibly take the fight to the ground. Pederneiras admitted that Aldo worked specifically on his boxing and his wrestling during camp because of his injury, but he said that “Scarface” decided not to shoot in for takedowns after having success on the feet early on:
“He spent his entire camp working on his boxing and his takedown, his ground game,” Pederneiras said. “Since Aldo felt well standing in the first rounds, he decided not to go for takedowns, but (Holloway’s) punch landed and everything changed.”
The loss to Holloway marked the second TKO loss for Aldo in his last three bouts, and his fighting future is currently unclear, although he did say that he would be back in the aftermath of UFC 212.
Holloway, on the other hand, extended his winning streak to an incredible 11 straight with his UFC 212 victory. The 25-year-old Hawaiian champion now has some interesting options awaiting him, as top contenders Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson have both been campaigning for title shots. Holloway has already beaten Swanson, as has Edgar, so the fight to make seems to be a clash between “Blessed” and “The Answer”.
Either way, the featherweight division seems to be in a good place moving forward with Holloway at the helm after being held up by Conor McGregor over the last few years.
What do you make of Pederneiras’ comments and who would you like to see Holloway take on next?
Max Holloway is the new UFC featherweight champion of the world. “Blessed” won the interim 145-pound title back in December of 2016 when he defeated former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC 206 via third round TKO. This set up a meeting with undisputed champ Jose Aldo at UFC 212 earlier […]
Max Holloway is the new UFC featherweight champion of the world.
“Blessed” won the interim 145-pound title back in December of 2016 when he defeated former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC 206 via third round TKO. This set up a meeting with undisputed champ Jose Aldo at UFC 212 earlier this month in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Holloway shocked the mixed martial arts (MMA) world when he finished “Scarface” in the third round in his own backyard of Brazil, becoming just the third ever man to win the UFC featherweight title. Now Holloway is welcoming all comers for his first title defense, and No. 2-ranked Frankie Edgar as well as No. 4-ranked Cub Swanson are on the top of the list for potential candidates.
Both Edgar and Swanson have been vocal as to why they believe they deserve the next shot at the 145-pound crown, and Holloway recently joined the Fight Society podcast to respond to their call outs (quotes via FOX Sports):
“If I didn’t fight you, get ready,” Holloway said. “Cause what you’re seeing is not what you’re getting. Everybody looking from the outside into the cage, they think they can do this, this and this. When they step in there it’s a different thing with me. So if I didn’t fight you yet, make sure you cover all your bases cause I’m coming.
“And if I did fight you already, like I told [Cub Swanson] when he was interviewing me after my fight — you’re going to get it again. Get ready to get it again.”
Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports
During his rise to the top, Holloway has already beaten half of the UFC’s top 10 fighters in the division, but is more than willing to run it back with any man he has already defeated before – even Cub Swanson:
“Anybody and everybody’s going to get it,” Holloway promised. “I’m not racing through my division. I’m cleaning it out. So if you want two L’s, you’re going to get two L’s and if you’re looking for one, come fight “Blessed”.”
Holloway is excited to show the MMA world even more of his game, as he hasn’t been able to showcase his ground skills due to the fact that he has been dismantling his opponents inside the Octagon on the feet:
“I’m not even scratching the surface yet,” Holloway said. “You guys didn’t get to see my ground. You guys didn’t get to see me do too much but strike. I just love striking. I’ve just been able to do one part of my game for a while and I’m killing it and I’m doing it well.
“You guys don’t get to see the next part. It’s an evolution.”
The Hawaiian’s goals moving forward as champ rival that of flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, as he eyes multiple title defenses in his future in attempt to break more UFC records:
“I’ve got a ton more to do. I want to be like [Demetrious Johnson]. I want to have my 11 or 12, 13, 14 belt picture,” Holloway said. “I want to be lying down just covered in them. I want a lot of them.
