Jose Aldo retained his UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 156 against Frankie Edgar, and now the search is on for who will attempt to dethrone the champion next.Aldo’s run as champion has been impressive. He was dominant in the WEC and continues tha…
Jose Aldo retained his UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 156 against Frankie Edgar, and now the search is on for who will attempt to dethrone the champion next.
Aldo’s run as champion has been impressive. He was dominant in the WEC and continues that trend under the bright lights of the UFC.
He stands atop the featherweight world. Other contenders are climbing that mountain but they appear to be a ways down from toppling Aldo at this point. However, in MMA anything can happen, and Aldo needs a challenger.
Here are five potential contenders to Aldo’s featherweight crown.
The UFC 156 pay-per-view card had its ups and downs on Saturday night. Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall opened the evening with a fast paced flyweight contest. Demian Maia and Jon Fitch received mixed reviews from the fans. Antonio Silva delivered an ad…
The UFC 156 pay-per-view card had its ups and downs on Saturday night. Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall opened the evening with a fast paced flyweight contest. Demian Maia and Jon Fitch received mixed reviews from the fans. Antonio Silva delivered an adrenaline spike by stopping Alistair Overeem. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera squandered their lead in by playing patty-cake for 15 minutes, and then it was time for the main event, featherweight champion Jose Aldo facing former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
The fight, billed by the promotion and all others that overlooked the fact that Edgar was coming off two consecutive defeats, was being labeled as a “Super Fight.” It wasn’t. But it was a super fight.
Aldo came out fast and showed Edgar that the speed advantage he held as a 155-pounder wasn’t going to transfer to the 145-pound division, as he used his speed to mark Edgar up early in the going landing strikes from distance.
Aldo’s speed advantage faded as the fight wore on. Edgar’s cardio and never-say-die attitude began to show through in the later rounds, but it wasn’t enough to earn him the victory.
The scores may have raised some eyebrows when they were read, but the final outcome was correct—Aldo did win the fight. The victory was the 15th straight win for Aldo and the 12th straight with the WEC/UFC.
What’s next for Aldo is up in the air, as some interesting contenders have begun to emerge in the featherweight division, including Ricardo Lamas, who put a beating on Erik Koch in Chicago last weekend. For Edgar, there are options, including a potential drop to the bantamweight division.
UFC 156 was one of the most noteworthy mixed martial arts events in a long time. Some results were expected, others were surprising, but the entire card proved to be nothing less than compelling. One of the great things about this card is the way …
UFC 156 was one of the most noteworthy mixed martial arts events in a long time. Some results were expected, others were surprising, but the entire card proved to be nothing less than compelling.
One of the great things about this card is the way it will help shape everything that UFC does the rest of the year. So many fights on this show will be used to set up the next step for title contenders and big matches.
Going over the results from UFC 156, here are the biggest winners from a memorable pay-per-view.
Jose Aldo (def. Frankie Edgar to retain UFC featherweight title)
Aldo continues to show the world why he is the most revered featherweight fighter in the world and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Putting his title on the line against Frankie Edgar, one of the best lightweight fighters in the sport, could have turned out badly for Aldo. Edgar doesn’t have knockout power, but he is accustomed to handling himself against bigger fighters.
Dropping down in weight could have been a gift for Edgar. Instead, Aldo did a remarkable job of standing toe-to-toe with Edgar for all five rounds. It was an incredibly close fight, one that could warrant a rematch, but Aldo came out of with his title.
Frankie Edgar (lost to Jose Aldo)
No one likes to think of moral victories in sports, but Edgar continues to earn the respect of anyone and everyone who watches him. He took a fight against Aldo that he didn’t have to, in a weight class that he has never fought at, and nearly walked away with a championship.
In fact, there is a real argument to be made that Edgar did win the fight. The rounds were so close, especially the fifth, that trying to find any real separation between the two is almost impossible.
Edgar will have his choice of fights next, either another bout at featherweight or a return to lightweight. Wherever he goes, you can be assured that he is going to put every drop of sweat and every ounce of energy he has into getting back on the right track.
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (def. Alistair Overeem via KO)
Alistair Overeem’s return was supposed to be about him earning his way back into the heavyweight title picture after being suspended for a failed drug test last year.
Instead, Overeem got a harsh taste of the cruel reality that only mixed martial arts can provide. Antonio Silva provided all the fireworks, especially in the third round, when he dropped Overeem with a flurry of punches.
UFC may have lost a lot of money with this decision, because a title fight between Overeem and Cain Velasquez would have done big business. Nut Silva likely turned himself into a legit star after this finish. A well-deserved Knockout of the Night bonus.
Odds are that no fighter walked into the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday afternoon with more swagger than heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem.By the time his UFC 156 bout against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva rolled around, Overeem, smirk firmly in…
Odds are that no fighter walked into the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday afternoon with more swagger than heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem.
By the time his UFC 156 bout against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva rolled around, Overeem, smirk firmly in place, was all confidence, looking at Silva as nothing more than a bump in the road he had to get past in order to get a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
When the fight began it was apparent that Overeem had no respect for the skills of the underdog Silva. Through the first two rounds Overeem had the advantage while Silva didn’t do all that much to make fans believe he was really in the fight.
When the third round began, a new Silva emerged from his corner. He came out and took it right to Overeem, throwing some heavy leather as he backed Overeem into the cage and tore into him. Right hand after right hand found the mark, snapping Overeem’s head back and eventually turning out the lights of the former Strikeforce champion.
Don’t let the official score fool you. This was a knockout and not a technical knockout, as it was scored by referee Herb Dean.
The win put all talk of an Overeem title shot to rest while throwing Silva’s name into the mix as a possible opponent for Velasquez.
The fight also served as an important lesson that no one should ever believe their hype. No one should ever believe the odds. No one should ever take a supposedly easy fight lightly.
UFC 156 is now in the books, and Jose Aldo remains the UFC featherweight champion. The Brazilian’s victory over former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar was his 15th in a row and his fourth straight as a UFC competitor.Edgar’s official featherweight a…
UFC 156 is now in the books, and Jose Aldo remains the UFC featherweight champion. The Brazilian’s victory over former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar was his 15th in a row and his fourth straight as a UFC competitor.
Edgar’s official featherweight arrival came in losing fashion, but even so, his presence really shakes up the division’s landscape. He brings unquestionable talent to the upper echelon of the 145-pound class, introducing a whole new challenge to those looking to earn a title shot.
So, where exactly does “The Answer” enter the featherweight picture? Check it out in these post-UFC 156 divisional rankings.
Mixed martial arts cards are usually full of surprises, but none were bigger at UFC 156 than Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva’s knockout of former Pride and Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.As soon as Overeem hit the canvas in the early stages …
Mixed martial arts cards are usually full of surprises, but none were bigger at UFC 156 than Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva’s knockout of former Pride and Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
As soon as Overeem hit the canvas in the early stages of the third round, it was clear the 32-year-old Dutchman has work to do before he can ever be crowned champion of the UFC.
Overeem, returning from a nine-month ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (h/t Fox Sports) after he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone in April 2012, looked like the better fighter in the first and early part of the second round.
He showed power in his strikes, quickness that figured to give him the deciding advantage over Silva and a good sense of the octagon, but he just couldn’t find a way to finish off Bigfoot before the second horn sounded.
That second horn must have been deafening to Bigfoot, because he came out guns blazing in the third round. He landed two hard shots with his right hand before fazing Overeem enough to disorient and force the UFC newcomer up against the cage in defense mode.
Bigfoot landed strike after strike as Overeem retreated to the fence, and within a few seconds, it was over. The KO was a far cry from Overeem’s prediction of a UFC 156 demolition (h/t Toronto Sun) and shows he has tons of work to do before being seen as a legitimate contender to the Heavyweight belt currently worn by Cain Velasquez.
For starters, it seemed as if Overeem was just toying with Bigfoot for most of the match. Ask Middleweight champion and consensus pound-for-pound legend Anderson Silva—great fighters finish opponents off.
From his utter refusal to put his hands up in defense to his second-round inability to finish Bigfoot after getting him to the ground, Overeem really coasted in this fight. MMAJunkie.com’s John Morgan noted much of the same:
New York Post MMAblogger Marc Raimondi held much of the same sentiment:
To be a champion in this sport—specifically the UFC—you must survive the gauntlet. Ask Urijah Faber, ChaelSonnen and Rashad Evans how it feels to get close to being considered elite and then lose it all with a tough loss. Those guys are all great fighters, but haven’t been able to take the next step.
It’s a step Overeem didn’t take tonight.
There’s plenty of reasons to give Overeem some excuses here. He was on a nine-month layoff, he was fighting an opponent he didn’t feel would give him a good bout and he has been susceptible to the KO six other times in his career, as noted by B/R’s own Nathan McCarter:
Champions don’t make excuses.
It will be interesting to see the post-fight and post-week reaction from Overeem on this stunning loss. If he were to hide behind the wall that he shouldn’t have been in this fight in the first place, then questions about his ability to adjust to the league will be forthcoming.
If he mans up and admits a lack of focus and overly cocky attitude helped cost him a fight he should have won, then the first step towards the title will be complete. Overeem is a decorated fighter (now 36-12-1 career record) that can brawl with the best.
He didn’t show it on Saturday night at UFC 156, and has some major work to do if he wants a shot at Velasquez and the Heavyweight title.
Ethan Grant is a featured columnist for B/R’s Breaking News Team.
UFC 156 was one of the most noteworthy mixed martial arts events in a long time. Some results were expected, others were surprising, but the entire card proved to be nothing less than compelling.