Jose Aldo is ready to fight Max Holloway, but not inside the Octagon. The Brazilian featherweight champion was recently promoted to undisputed champion after former 145-pound champ Conor McGregor was stripped of the title. Holloway met Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC 206 for the interim featherweight crown, and Holloway won the fight
Jose Aldo is ready to fight Max Holloway, but not inside the Octagon.
The Brazilian featherweight champion was recently promoted to undisputed champion after former 145-pound champ Conor McGregor was stripped of the title. Holloway met Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC 206 for the interim featherweight crown, and Holloway won the fight via third round TKO.
Given the current situation it only seems fit that the next title fight at featherweight is a unification bout between Aldo and Holloway to determine an undisputed champ. While Holloway has been nursing an injury and landing a role in a movie since his win over Pettis, Aldo tells Combate that if ‘Blessed’ is ready to go to war he can find him on Flamengo Beach:
“It happens in the Flamengo Beach, that I am there. I’m prepared to fight any day. I was training for this, but let’s see. But it’s like I said, I’m just passing by on the beach, ” Aldo said.
‘Scarface’ also stated that he was close to signing a bout agreement to lock horns with Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson for an interim lightweight title contest in attempt to land a rematch with Conor McGregor, but didn’t have much luck with those plans:
“I’ve been almost too close to that. We were sticking up there in an hour when we closed a fight for March 4 with Khabib (Nurmagomedov), and his father denied it. After we tried to close with Ferguson, he asked for more money and the UFC did not. Then it was very close to happening. But now I do not know how it is, now we’re back out of line again, ” he said.
Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Upon Holloway’s return from injury, who do you got in the matchup between ‘Blessed’ and Aldo?
Max Holloway is still looking for ‘Jose Waldo’. The UFC interim 145-pound champ recently attended NFL media day here in Houston, Texas for this weekend’s (Sun. February 5, 2017) Super Bowl LI (quotes courtesy of MMA Junkie), and revealed he is already back in training for what he hopes will be a unification title bout
The UFC interim 145-pound champ recently attended NFL media day here in Houston, Texas for this weekend’s (Sun. February 5, 2017) Super Bowl LI (quotes courtesy of MMA Junkie), and revealed he is already back in training for what he hopes will be a unification title bout with Jose Aldo:
“I’ve got that last doctor visit to get cleared, but I’m back training, and it feels good,” he said. “It felt good to relax a little bit. The ankle’s all good. I can’t wait to get in there and get the fight, (but) it comes back to let’s find Waldo.”
Holloway is currently on a 10-fight win streak after his interim featherweight title win over Anthony Pettis in the main event of UFC 206 this past December. Due to an ankle injury ‘Blessed’ was unable to jump right back into action to unify his title with the undisputed 145-pound champ Aldo, but he has been keeping busy.
The 25-year-old Hawaiian revealed that he has signed on to be a part of Gerard Butler and 50 Cent’s newest action film “Den of Thieves” in which he’ll be playing a bank robber. The interim featherweight champ will begin filming next week:
“Everyone loves a villain, so it’s time to be the bad guy,” Holloway said.
Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Despite landing a role in Hollywood, Holloway is still focused on becoming the undisputed champion of the world at 145 pounds and continued his campaign in which he is asking fans to help him ‘find Waldo’ and set up their unification bout as soon as possible:
“Tell your grandma, tell your aunt – people have dog and cat pages, so tell them all now,” he said. “(Aldo) has to be found. We have to get these belts united.”
After having taken out the likes of Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, Jeremy Stephens, Ricardo Lamas, and now Anthony Pettis, Holloway has compiled a resume against some of the most elite mixed martial artists at featherweight in preparation for Aldo. How do you think the interim 145-pound champ stacks up against ‘Scarface’?
Max Holloway and Sage Northcutt formed a formidable tag-team partnership on Thursday night. ‘Blessed’ and ‘Super’ were guests of the Houston Rockets’ during their Thursday night broadcasted NBA game against Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets’ mascot [Clutch] felt the impact of dealing with the two, taking a beating in the process. Both fighters are not exactly experiencing a parity in fortunes in the […]
Max Holloway and Sage Northcutt formed a formidable tag-team partnership on Thursday night. ‘Blessed’ and ‘Super’ were guests of the Houston Rockets’ during their Thursday night broadcasted NBA game against Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets’ mascot [Clutch] felt the impact of dealing with the two, taking a beating in the process. Both fighters are not exactly experiencing a parity in fortunes in the […]
Former Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez hasn’t had the most successful run in the UFC ever since he joined the promotion in 2013. Losing four out of his past five fights “El Nino” has struggled to replicate the success that made him Strikeforce Lightweight champion. Melendez who is now 34 years old is considered by many
Former Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez hasn’t had the most successful run in the UFC ever since he joined the promotion in 2013. Losing four out of his past five fights “El Nino” has struggled to replicate the success that made him Strikeforce Lightweight champion. Melendez who is now 34 years old is considered by many to be on the back nine of his 15-year fighting career, after his loss to Edson Barboza in July of last year it was uncertain if we would ever see the former “scrap pack” member step foot into the octagon again.
In an interview with MMAjunkie Radio Melendez revealed that he plans on moving down to featherweight and making “one last (title) run.” Melendez has fought at 155 pounds for the majority of his career and hasn’t competed at 145 pounds or below since 2005, but with his career currently at a stand still he believes it is time for a change.
“Until I book a fight at 145, I can’t really confirm that (I’m dropping), but yeah, that’s my goal right now, I’m trying to slim up. I’m really trying to diet and lose this fat around the belly a little bit more and really maximise my body’s potential. Once I get to that point, which should be in the next few weeks, I’ll really be able to make that jump and make that big decision. That’s my goal, is to make 145. That’s what I’m working on right now at this point.”
Melendez hasn’t reached out to the UFC to discuss it with them yet but says he is “trying to get ready mentally, physically” first and believes that he is nearing that point.
“I haven’t really reached out to them to tell them exactly, ‘This is what I want and what I’m going with,’” Melendez said. “I haven’t got to that point yet. I’m trying to get ready mentally, physically. I’m trying to get to that point where I’m just about there, and I’ll be reaching that soon and be able to pull the trigger on this.”
“I’d like to prove I’m one of the toughest in the division with a solid opponent who is willing to fight me and not stick and move, If I can get that, it would be great. I’m looking for one last (title) run.”
Melendez believes that moving down a weight class can rejuvenate his once illustrious career and that he can genuinely compete with the killers at 145 pounds. It is easier said and done to drop down a weight class, we have seen it with Anthony Pettis when he dropped down to 145 pounds to fight Max Holloway at UFC 206. Pettis missed weight and then went on to lose the fight by TKO in the third round, hopefully we won’t see it play out the same for Melendez.
Former Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez hasn’t had the most successful run in the UFC ever since he joined the promotion in 2013. Losing four out of his past five fights “El Nino” has struggled to replicate the success that made him Strikeforce Lightweight champion. Melendez who is now 34 years old is considered by many
Former Strikeforce Lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez hasn’t had the most successful run in the UFC ever since he joined the promotion in 2013. Losing four out of his past five fights “El Nino” has struggled to replicate the success that made him Strikeforce Lightweight champion. Melendez who is now 34 years old is considered by many to be on the back nine of his 15-year fighting career, after his loss to Edson Barboza in July of last year it was uncertain if we would ever see the former “scrap pack” member step foot into the octagon again.
In an interview with MMAjunkie Radio Melendez revealed that he plans on moving down to featherweight and making “one last (title) run.” Melendez has fought at 155 pounds for the majority of his career and hasn’t competed at 145 pounds or below since 2005, but with his career currently at a stand still he believes it is time for a change.
“Until I book a fight at 145, I can’t really confirm that (I’m dropping), but yeah, that’s my goal right now, I’m trying to slim up. I’m really trying to diet and lose this fat around the belly a little bit more and really maximise my body’s potential. Once I get to that point, which should be in the next few weeks, I’ll really be able to make that jump and make that big decision. That’s my goal, is to make 145. That’s what I’m working on right now at this point.”
Melendez hasn’t reached out to the UFC to discuss it with them yet but says he is “trying to get ready mentally, physically” first and believes that he is nearing that point.
“I haven’t really reached out to them to tell them exactly, ‘This is what I want and what I’m going with,’” Melendez said. “I haven’t got to that point yet. I’m trying to get ready mentally, physically. I’m trying to get to that point where I’m just about there, and I’ll be reaching that soon and be able to pull the trigger on this.”
“I’d like to prove I’m one of the toughest in the division with a solid opponent who is willing to fight me and not stick and move, If I can get that, it would be great. I’m looking for one last (title) run.”
Melendez believes that moving down a weight class can rejuvenate his once illustrious career and that he can genuinely compete with the killers at 145 pounds. It is easier said and done to drop down a weight class, we have seen it with Anthony Pettis when he dropped down to 145 pounds to fight Max Holloway at UFC 206. Pettis missed weight and then went on to lose the fight by TKO in the third round, hopefully we won’t see it play out the same for Melendez.
The UFC heavyweight’s tweet to Dana White provokes questions over the recent growth in the introduction of interim belts.
When all else fails, introduce an interim title to the mix. Not the words of the UFC top brass, although in the past couple of months we have seen the introduction of a secondary belt to the featherweight and lightweight divisions in times of promotional crisis, and the absence of a champion [McGregor].
The decision drew criticism from some, who felt that it was a weak effort on behalf of the promotion to make the PPV event worthwhile. Conor McGregor was simultaneously stripped of (or voluntarily relinquished) his 145 pound strap, with the winner of the Holloway/Pettis strap facing [new champion] Jose Aldo for the “real” title. From the promotions perspective, selling the fight as a title eliminator would not have held as much weight without a physical belt, given the UFC’s track record for reneging on title-shot promises.
While fans and associates of Conor McGregor were among the first to ridicule the introduction of the belt, McGregor himself was not averse to hoisting the interim gold over his head in his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189. These belts arguably grant the victor with an elevation on their stock, but to many fans they are somewhat worthless in the grand scheme.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was made official for UFC 209 this week, in a fight spiced up (once again) by an interim belt. McGregor is likely out of action until the end of the year, so the possibility of the winner between the Russian and the American having to defend (and possibly lose – confirmation, Dana?) the title of Interim Champion makes for even more confusion.
What makes this scenario unique, however, is that both guys are solidly in the #1 & #2 spots in the lightweight rankings, so the result should logically determine the challenger to the Irishman’s strap, right? Tyron Woodley v Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a title fight on the ‘209 card, so it is not as though the UFC are in a similar position to the Holloway v Pettis situation.
UFC’s Ben Rothwell sent a cheeky tweet to UFC president Dana White on Friday, appearing to poke fun at the President for this recent rise in interim belts:
One may argue that the new owners of the world’s chief MMA promotion are responsible for the rise in secondary titles, and being a business with finance at the forefront of its operations, it is a valid argument. Conjecture of motives aside, the introduction of a litany of belts has led to a series of mismatches, and a ton of promotional disputes in boxing – let us hope that the UFC are not planning on adopting a similar model of throwing a belt into the mix in just any fight.
The UFC heavyweight’s tweet to Dana White provokes questions over the recent growth in the introduction of interim belts.
When all else fails, introduce an interim title to the mix. Not the words of the UFC top brass, although in the past couple of months we have seen the introduction of a secondary belt to the featherweight and lightweight divisions in times of promotional crisis, and the absence of a champion [McGregor].
The decision drew criticism from some, who felt that it was a weak effort on behalf of the promotion to make the PPV event worthwhile. Conor McGregor was simultaneously stripped of (or voluntarily relinquished) his 145 pound strap, with the winner of the Holloway/Pettis strap facing [new champion] Jose Aldo for the “real” title. From the promotions perspective, selling the fight as a title eliminator would not have held as much weight without a physical belt, given the UFC’s track record for reneging on title-shot promises.
While fans and associates of Conor McGregor were among the first to ridicule the introduction of the belt, McGregor himself was not averse to hoisting the interim gold over his head in his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189. These belts arguably grant the victor with an elevation on their stock, but to many fans they are somewhat worthless in the grand scheme.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was made official for UFC 209 this week, in a fight spiced up (once again) by an interim belt. McGregor is likely out of action until the end of the year, so the possibility of the winner between the Russian and the American having to defend (and possibly lose – confirmation, Dana?) the title of Interim Champion makes for even more confusion.
What makes this scenario unique, however, is that both guys are solidly in the #1 & #2 spots in the lightweight rankings, so the result should logically determine the challenger to the Irishman’s strap, right? Tyron Woodley v Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a title fight on the ‘209 card, so it is not as though the UFC are in a similar position to the Holloway v Pettis situation.
UFC’s Ben Rothwell sent a cheeky tweet to UFC president Dana White on Friday, appearing to poke fun at the President for this recent rise in interim belts:
Dear @danawhite, there must be an interim title at stake between McGregor&Mayweather,otherwise I just don't find it interesting enough.Thanx
One may argue that the new owners of the world’s chief MMA promotion are responsible for the rise in secondary titles, and being a business with finance at the forefront of its operations, it is a valid argument. Conjecture of motives aside, the introduction of a litany of belts has led to a series of mismatches, and a ton of promotional disputes in boxing – let us hope that the UFC are not planning on adopting a similar model of throwing a belt into the mix in just any fight.
