Tag: Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway

Max Holloway Offers Praise To Jose Aldo After UFC on ESPN+ 2 Win

Max Holloway offers some high praise to former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo after watching his latest fight. The old Aldo returned as he TKO’d Renato Moicano in the second-round of their co-headlining bout. This fight went down at the UFC on ESPN+ 2 show in Fortaleza, Brazil at Centro de Formação Olímpica do Nordeste. […]

The post Max Holloway Offers Praise To Jose Aldo After UFC on ESPN+ 2 Win appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Max Holloway offers some high praise to former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo after watching his latest fight.

The old Aldo returned as he TKO’d Renato Moicano in the second-round of their co-headlining bout. This fight went down at the UFC on ESPN+ 2 show in Fortaleza, Brazil at Centro de Formação Olímpica do Nordeste. Prior to this fight, Aldo scored a win over Jeremy Stephens in the co-main event of the UFC on FOX 30 event at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that aired on FOX.

The current UFC featherweight champion was watching this event and took to his official Twitter account to express his praise for Aldo. He did so once writing the following:

“Not just king of Rio. King of Brazil. King of defending champs. Congrats Ze Aldo. Nothing but love for you my bratha.”

There is some history between these two fighters as Holloway has beaten Aldo twice and they were both lopsided wins. Holloway beat Aldo at UFC 212 in June 2017 by TKO in the third round. Also, Holloway won the second fight at UFC 218 in December 2017 the exact same way.

The post Max Holloway Offers Praise To Jose Aldo After UFC on ESPN+ 2 Win appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Jose Aldo Almost Retired After Second Max Holloway Loss

Former WEC and UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo nearly hung up his gloves for good after his second TKO loss to current champion Max Holloway. Holloway has defeated Aldo twice in a row by TKO, most recently at lasts December’s UFC 218, and the second time almost pushed Aldo to retirement. Aldo discussed his thoughts following […]

The post Jose Aldo Almost Retired After Second Max Holloway Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former WEC and UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo nearly hung up his gloves for good after his second TKO loss to current champion Max Holloway.

Holloway has defeated Aldo twice in a row by TKO, most recently at lasts December’s UFC 218, and the second time almost pushed Aldo to retirement.

Aldo discussed his thoughts following UFC 218 and why he’s continuing to fight as he prepares for his first non-title fight in nearly a decade (via MMA Fighting):

”After the fight, I took some time for myself, to think and stay with my family. Two weeks later, I met with my coaches, sat down with everyone. I asked what they thought, if it was time to stop or not. We decided to move forward. The next day I was in the gym.”

”I think I still have much wood to burn, full capacity to go there and fight for the title again. I still have four fights left in the contract. I want to do at least three this year. I want to get to the third fighting for the title, be champion again. Then, in the future, I think about retiring or not.”

Aldo entered the UFC and was immediately crowned as champion of the 145-pound division after the UFC bought and absorbed the WEC back in 2010. Aldo had been featherweight champion in the WEC and managed to reign over the weight class for six years in total.

Aldo lost his belt following a 13-second knockout loss at the hands of rival Conor McGregor at UFC 194 but managed to recapture the interim featherweight title after defeating Frankie Edgar for a second time at UFC 200.

Aldo has gone winless since the Edgar rematch and has now lost three of his last four fights by some form of knockout.

Thankfully, Aldo found his motivation to fight again after meeting with his team and coaches and is now set to fight Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens in his first non-title fight in years.

Aldo and Stephens will meet in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 30 on July 28 in Calgary.

The post Jose Aldo Almost Retired After Second Max Holloway Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Max Holloway: Stop Acting Like Jose Aldo & Frankie Edgar Are Dead

Max Holloway is without a doubt the best featherweight in the world in a division that has been notoriously deep with talent. But even with perennial contenders Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar now coming off of knockout losses, Holloway insists they’re still the top three in the division. The 145-pound champion gave his thoughts on […]

The post Max Holloway: Stop Acting Like Jose Aldo & Frankie Edgar Are Dead appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Max Holloway is without a doubt the best featherweight in the world in a division that has been notoriously deep with talent.

But even with perennial contenders Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar now coming off of knockout losses, Holloway insists they’re still the top three in the division.

The 145-pound champion gave his thoughts on the status of the featherweight division and his unfinished business with Edgar (MMA Mania):

“Me and Frankie [Edgar] still got unfinished business. Everyone is talking about Frankie and [Jose] Aldo like they’re two dead guys. They say, ‘Too washed up.’ They’re still animals. They’ve been at the top of the heap.”

“They’ve been top-five, top-three in any division they were in, forever. People keep talking about how these guys are old; we’ll see. You can’t speak on it yet. It’s a couple losses. It’s MMA.”

“You get caught. Frankie, Aldo, these guys are not dead. They’re mid-30s and they’re fighting. People act like Frankie and Aldo are not the top-three guys. They’re still ranked in the top-three with [Brian] Ortega.”

Aldo was TKO’d twice in a row by Holloway himself, while Edgar was finished for the first time in his career at UFC 222 after blue-chip prospect Brian Ortega knocked him out in the first round.

Holloway appears to be addressing fans that have written off the two fighters:

“Come on, guys. Let’s be serious, let’s be real. These guys are not dead, they’re not gone. They’re still around. We’ll see what happens. But right now, the path is going a different way for me with Ortega and I’m focused.”

Edgar will look to bounce back quickly, as a rematch with Cub Swanson was just announced on Wednesday.

Do you agree with Holloway’s impression on Aldo and Edgar’s status in the featherweight division?

The post Max Holloway: Stop Acting Like Jose Aldo & Frankie Edgar Are Dead appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Jose Aldo’s Team Fires Back At Critics Of UFC 218 Defeat

Jose Aldo stepped up to rematch Max Holloway for the featherweight belt at UFC 218 last Saturday night, and once again fell short in his efforts. Holloway finished the former longtime champ in the third round just like he did during their first fight at UFC 212. In spite of the loss, Aldo’s team of […]

The post Jose Aldo’s Team Fires Back At Critics Of UFC 218 Defeat appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Jose Aldo stepped up to rematch Max Holloway for the featherweight belt at UFC 218 last Saturday night, and once again fell short in his efforts.

Holloway finished the former longtime champ in the third round just like he did during their first fight at UFC 212.

In spite of the loss, Aldo’s team of coaches and trainers fired back at critics of his performance, namely Aldo’s kickboxing clash Emerson “Falcao” Viera, who took to Instagram to defend his star pupil:

“Many talk, few know. This is the truth, Brazilians are used to idolizing crooks and crucifying heroes. It’s almost cultural. Who should be supporting us is pointing fingers, criticizing and judging without having any knowledge to talk about the topic. We’re used to fighting rivals and receive critics from the ones who were supposed be on our side.

“Yesterday, our champion Jose Aldo did his part, fought bravely against a really tough opponent, who was superior in the fight and won, like [Aldo] did for many years and still has what it takes to do. Sports are like this, nothing and no one will erase your story in life and in fighting. Your friends and teammates are proud of everything you’ve already done and will still do. Nothing changed. We lost a battle, but war continues.”

Many longtime Brazilian champions have been dethroned recently, with only “Cyborg” remaining as the only current Brazilian UFC champ. Aldo, Anderson Silva, Fabricio Werdum, and Rafael Dos Anjos have all faltered as of late, leaving the Brazilian fan-base bereft of champions.

Aldo’s coach emphasized the culture surrounding Brazilian idols, and how Aldo should remain one despite coming up short at UFC 218.

With the loss on Saturday, Aldo moved to 26-4 and is only 2-3 in his last five fights. It’s important to note that Aldo had a very difficult weight cut for the Holloway rematch, and could potentially make the move to lightweight after flirting with the idea for years.

Should Aldo move to 155 pounds for a fresh start in a new weight class? Or should he work on dieting and nutrition for another go at featherweight?

The post Jose Aldo’s Team Fires Back At Critics Of UFC 218 Defeat appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Six Biggest Takeaways From UFC 218

Another UFC event is in the books, and boy did it deliver. Legends faltered, new legacies were cemented, and contenders emerged looking strong enough to dethrone their divisions’ champion. With standout performances by Eddie Alvarez, Francis Ngannou, and Max Holloway, Saturday night in the Motor City proved to be a rousing success for the UFC, […]

The post Six Biggest Takeaways From UFC 218 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Another UFC event is in the books, and boy did it deliver. Legends faltered, new legacies were cemented, and contenders emerged looking strong enough to dethrone their divisions’ champion.

With standout performances by Eddie Alvarez, Francis Ngannou, and Max Holloway, Saturday night in the Motor City proved to be a rousing success for the UFC, so let’s talk a look at what all went down:

Raj Mehta for USA TODAY Sports

6. Henry Cejudo still isn’t ready for Demetrious Johnson

Cejudo got obliterated by the flyweight champ when he was given his title shot at 2016’s UFC 197, and initially showed big improvements in the performances thereafter.

But Saturday night didn’t help his case for a second crack at Demetrious Johnson. Cejudo’s wrestling was on point against Sergio Pettis, yet he didn’t do anything with his position and never threatened to finish the fight, in spite of controlling where the fight went and when.

And that wrestling that worked so flawlessly against Pettis still won’t be nearly as effective against “Mighty Mouse,” who was only taken down once by the Olympian and quickly got back to his feet before ending the fight with a series of knees to Cejudo’s breadbasket.

A submission game for the wrestler such as an arm-triangle choke could do wonders for Cejudo, who needs more options to finish fights before being a serious threat to Johnson.

The post Six Biggest Takeaways From UFC 218 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Max Holloway Says Jose Aldo Didn’t Want To Fight At UFC 212

25-year-old Max Holloway completed his rise to the top of the UFC’s featherweight division in the main event of UFC 212 earlier this month (June 3, 2017), finishing Jose Aldo in the third round to become the undisputed 145-pound champion. Despite losing the first two rounds, Holloway took note of how Aldo was reacting to […]

The post Max Holloway Says Jose Aldo Didn’t Want To Fight At UFC 212 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

25-year-old Max Holloway completed his rise to the top of the UFC’s featherweight division in the main event of UFC 212 earlier this month (June 3, 2017), finishing Jose Aldo in the third round to become the undisputed 145-pound champion.

Despite losing the first two rounds, Holloway took note of how Aldo was reacting to his movements, and “Blessed” recently said that the Brazilian was often ‘jumping back’:

“When I was putting my hand out and stuff, every time I’d put it, he would shut it down,” Holloway told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “He would throw something, he would do something reactive. Every time in the beginning rounds when I feinted at him, he was jumping back. I [saw these] big motions from him and he was countering super fast at certain things I was doing.”

Towards the tail end of the second round and into the third, Holloway began to loosen up, letting his hands go and taunting Aldo. It was at this point that Holloway said he realized that Aldo didn’t want to fight:

“I told myself, he’s not firing,” Holloway said. “It’s time to taunt. Let’s taunt. Let’s see if he cracks me. I taunted him — I put my hands up for a couple of seconds. And he didn’t do nothing. I was like OK, I’m gonna do it again. And he did nothing. I was like man, this guy don’t want to fight.”

“These guys are playing checkers,” Holloway said. “I’m out here playing chess. When they figure it out, it’s too late.”

Despite the slow start that many viewers clearly saw taking place from him, Holloway says the fight with Aldo went exactly according to his game plan, and now the young Hawaiian plans to lead MMA into a new era:

“I already knew our game plan was gonna work,” Holloway said. “There’s enough tape. Aldo, he’s one of the greatest ever, but it’s just time for a new era. It’s time for the new wave of guys, us young guys are coming up and we’re proving it. We’re showing to the world that we’re here to stay, we’re taking forever. MMA is forever evolving. You either evolve with the sport or you get left behind. I’m trying to lead the back. I’m trying to sprint.”

What do you make of Holloway’s assessment of the fight?

The post Max Holloway Says Jose Aldo Didn’t Want To Fight At UFC 212 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.