The UFC’s first pay per view card of 2013 took place on Saturday night from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. In the main event of the evening Jose Aldo successfully defended his featherweight crown, defeating former UFC ligh…
The UFC’s first pay per view card of 2013 took place on Saturday night from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. In the main event of the evening Jose Aldo successfully defended his featherweight crown, defeating former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision.
While Aldo was the favorite to win that fight, he was the exception at UFC 156, as several other favorites didn’t live up to that billing.
Rashad Evans lost a decision to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in an uninspired light heavyweight bout and Jon Fitch was out “Fitch’d” by submission expert Demian Maia. The most surprising upset of the night belonged to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, who TKO’d the heavily favored Alistair Overeem in their heavyweight contest.
Also of note was the fact that three former Strikeforce fighters made their UFC debut on the card, each scoring a victory.
The most notable of those three wins was Tyron Woodley, who came in and blasted Jay Hieron, knocking him out in 36 seconds. Woodley looked like a lock for “Knockout of the Night” honors, but that check was denied him when Silva dropped Overeem on the pay per view card.
The results of the event shook up a few weight divisions. Losses from Evans and Overeem put them out of the running for title shots, while the win from Maia and Silva put them in the mix for future title shots in their weight divisions.
If close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, Frankie Edgar will keep running into roadblocks no matter what weight class he chooses.The former lightweight champion once again came up short in his bid for the featherweight title against Jose Al…
If close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, Frankie Edgar will keep running into roadblocks no matter what weight class he chooses.
The former lightweight champion once again came up short in his bid for the featherweight title against Jose Aldo on Saturday night at UFC 156.
Despite the outcome, Edgar had a really promising featherweight debut. Aldo claimed Urijah Faber was his toughest fight at the post-fight press conference (via MMAWeekly), but the vast majority would agree that honor now belongs to Edgar.
Early in the fight, it seemed like it would be an easy night for Aldo, who utilized his speed advantage to pick Edgar apart with steady jabs, crosses and leg kicks. Edgar has been in early trouble on several occasions, but this was the first time he had ever faced such a superior technical fighter.
Still, there is always that glimmer of hope in every Edgar fight for a miracle or an epic comeback of some sort. In the third round, Edgar gave life to that everlasting hope as he stormed back against Aldo and turned a routing into a controversial unanimous decision.
“Close fight, I keep finding myself in these situations, it’s what it is. Congrats to Jose, he fought a great fight. I’m just going to go home and take some time, that’s all,” Edgar told UFC commentator Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview.
Edgar certainly deserves an “A” for his performance against Aldo.
Some will likely harp on the fact that he lost, but it’s hard to criticize a guy for coming up short against one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. After losing back-to-back lightweight title bouts to Benson Henderson, Edgar surely didn’t think things would be any easier against Aldo.
One could even make the case that Aldo is a more difficult challenge than anyone he has ever faced at 155-pounds. Edgar’s performance does present a level of excitement about a potential rematch somewhere down the road.
First things first, he has to hop back in line and string together some wins.
Wow. We all knew that the fallout from Randy Couture’s deal with Bellator would be swift and harsh, but if Dana White’s words during the UFC 156 post-fight media scrum were any indication, the UFC HOFer might find himself SOL (Author’s note: I get paid by the acrostic) when his son makes his promotional debut as well.
But before we get into that, lets talk about what went down during the UFC 156 post-fight press conference first (video above). Following his parlay-destroying victory over Alistair Overeem earlier in the evening, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was not afraid to add insult to injury when questioned on his strategy heading into the third round, stating almost matter-of-factly that Overeem lacked heart:
I work a lot in the gym and I had a good strategy, because we know Overeem [doesn’t] have good cardio and no heart. When he punches, he’s a lion, but when [you] punch him, he’s a cat, you know?
That’s right, Antonio freaking Silva just used the power of metaphor in English to call Ubereem a pussy. Might I direct you to this Scanners gif?
For obvious reasons, Dana White remained noncommittal to the idea of a Silva/Velasquez rematch, but simply stated that he “wouldn’t be opposed to that.” While it’s a decent idea in theory considering Silva’s most recent win, putting a guy who got taken down by Overeem on multiple occasions against the best wrestler in the division — one who practically killed Silva when they first fought, by the way — does not exactly scream “necessary matchup.” Then again, crazier things have happened in heavyweight rematches.
Now, let’s move on to Dana White pretty much banishing Randy Couture from all future UFC events…
Wow. We all knew that the fallout from Randy Couture’s deal with Bellator would be swift and harsh, but if Dana White’s words during the UFC 156 post-fight media scrum were any indication, the UFC HOFer might find himself SOL (Author’s note: I get paid by the acrostic) when his son makes his promotional debut as well.
But before we get into that, lets talk about what went down during the UFC 156 post-fight press conference first (video above). Following his parlay-destroying victory over Alistair Overeem earlier in the evening, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was not afraid to add insult to injury when questioned on his strategy heading into the third round, stating almost matter-of-factly that Overeem lacked heart:
I work a lot in the gym and I had a good strategy, because we know Overeem [doesn’t] have good cardio and no heart. When he punches, he’s a lion, but when [you] punch him, he’s a cat, you know?
That’s right, Antonio freaking Silva just used the power of metaphor in English to call Ubereem a pussy. Might I direct you to this Scanners gif?
For obvious reasons, Dana White remained noncommittal to the idea of a Silva/Velasquez rematch, but simply stated that he “wouldn’t be opposed to that.” While it’s a decent idea in theory considering Silva’s most recent win, putting a guy who got taken down by Overeem on multiple occasions against the best wrestler in the division — one who practically killed Silva when they first fought, by the way — does not exactly scream “necessary matchup.” Then again, crazier things have happened in heavyweight rematches.
Now, let’s move on to Dana White pretty much banishing Randy Couture from all future UFC events…
To be fair, Dana White was forced to wade through a shitty selection of topics in the post-fight scrum — everything from Vitor Belfort’s positive test rumor to Stephan Bonnar’s totally positive UFC 153 test was covered — but to see the look that comes across DW’s face when he’s asked about Randy Couture at the 8:43 mark is downright hilarious. You can literally see the gears of war turning in The Baldfather’s head, as if he’s trying to express all his pent up rage and frustration by forming a completely new curse word (Cuntangular-pumpionfucker!), before calming down and declaring that Couture “is only a man when he steps into the octagon.” And if Dana White isn’t completely bullshitting the details of Couture’s signing with Bellator (and that’s an Emmanuel Yarborough-sized “if”), then it seems our beloved Captain America is a little more like Two-Face than we’d like to imagine. I’m not great with superhero puns.
However, it wasn’t until the subject of Randy’s son, Strikeforce veteran Ryan Couture, came up that things really got interesting (emphasis mine):
Interviewer: So how might this affect Ryan’s future?
Dana: So (sighs)…the day after I talked to you guys, I called Ryan Couture and I said ‘Ryan, let me put it to you this way, this is probably the weirdest conversation you’re ever going to have. [Author’s note: Oh God, I know how this ends.] You signed a deal with us in the UFC. I want you to be here. But I need you to understand this: me and your dad are not good, me and your dad are never going to be good, ever, ever again, as long as I walk this fucking planet.‘
[Randy’s] not cornering him. Randy Couture can’t buy a ticket to this motherfucking event. So I said, ‘He’s not going to be around and I just want to be upfront with you’…and he said to me, ‘Every kid who’s ever strapped on a pair of gloves is dreaming about fighting in the UFC, and if they say they’re not than they’re either lying or stupid.’ He said, ‘This is my dream. I want to fight with you guys.’
We’re not exactly sure which “motherfucking event” White was talking about, but there you have it: the most literal case of “out with the old, in with the new” that MMA has ever witnessed. No pressure, Ryan.
The MMA world is enamored with Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones, but it could be Jose Aldo who truly proves to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.At only 26 years old, Aldo has defended his featherweight title six consecuti…
The MMA world is enamored with Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones, but it could be Jose Aldo who truly proves to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
At only 26 years old, Aldo has defended his featherweight title six consecutive times, but his greatness stretches far beyond title defenses.
Aldo exudes the same otherworldly aura as the big three in the pound-for-pound category. The level of excitement and anticipation every time he steps into the Octagon rivals the same level of intensity as any all-time great.
Aldo’s openness to move up in weight and challenge for the UFC lightweight title is what truly separates him from past, present and future champions. Randy Couture and BJ Penn are the only fighters in UFC history to ever hold a title in two separate weight classes.
Could Aldo be the third fighter to achieve such a rare accolade?
At UFC 156, he took one step closer to making that dream a reality by defeating former UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.
Today, we pay homage to Jose Aldo by power ranking his UFC and WEC title defenses.
Jose Aldo is unquestionably the best featherweight fighter in the world. He made that perfectly clear at UFC 156 when he battered former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar over the course of their five-round main event, snagging a unanimous decisi…
Jose Aldo is unquestionably the best featherweight fighter in the world.
He made that perfectly clear at UFC 156 when he battered former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar over the course of their five-round main event, snagging a unanimous decision victory in the process.
With this victory, his sixth consecutive title defense, it is time to talk about Aldo in terms of the all-time greats.
A hit-list of guys like Urijah Faber, Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Cub Swanson and now Frankie Edgar is hard to ignore, so where does Aldo stack up against the legends of the sport?
Let us start with his record. At 22-1, with the sole loss coming via submission more than seven years ago, there is no doubt that Aldo is currently performing as well as anybody.
His 15-straight victories stack up nicely against Anderson Silva‘s 17, Jon Jones’ eight and Georges St-Pierre’s 10.
Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko‘s crazy 29-fight undefeated streak from 2001-09 is the only run Aldo cannot touch at the moment, and even that streak is highly scrutinized and devoured by hardcore MMA fanatics.
Emelianenko faced top opponents at that time, but more recent streaks, like Silva’s, Aldo’s and Jones’, are generally regarded as more impressive due to the increasingly competitive nature of the sport.
To me, Aldo’s streak deserves recognition with the best of them, and one cannot dock him for not matching The Last Emperor’s historic run.
Looking at quality of competition, there is no doubt Aldo has faced the best of the best when called upon.
From Cub Swanson, Mike Brown and Urijah Faber in the WEC to Mark Hominick, Kenny Florian and Frankie Edgar in the UFC, Aldo has performed against—and defeated—the top guys in his division time and time again.
Add in the fact that fighters such as Edgar and Florian were former No. 1 and No. 2 lightweights, respectively, and Aldo’s strength of competition becomes even better.
On this front, Aldo is equal to Silva, Jones, Emelianenko and GSP. He fought legitimate No. 1 contenders when asked, and he took care of business.
The last, lesser quantifiable metric to measure Aldo’s status beside the all-time greats is his invincibility.
How close has he come to losing? How beatable is he moving forward? Just how dominant has he been?
On this front, we can eliminate FedorEmelianenko from the conversation, as he deteriorated in the later stages of his career, posting a 3-3 record in his last six fights.
Georges St-Pierre is next to be overcome by Aldo. GSP, for all his dominance, is not a killer inside the Octagon, and his superiority is of a more subtle, technical variety. I do not know if GSP is scary like Silva, Jones and Aldo, and the welterweight champ has shown serious vulnerability when hit.
Jones and Silva, however, have Aldo bested on this front. Rarely do the middleweight or light heavyweight champions see a decision, and both are accomplished finishers inside the Octagon.
Sure, Silva had that phase where he wanted to be Michael Jackson instead of a fighter, but any sane analyst will conclude that he could have finished those fights against Thales Leites, Demian Maia and Patrick Cote sooner had he wanted to.
Aldo, on the other hand, has seen hard-fought decision victories. His latest, against Edgar, actually prompted some to say he lost, and the same cannot be said for any of Silva’s or Jones’ decisions.
So where does that leave us?
First off, let us agree that Jose Aldo is not at an Anderson Silva- or FedorEmelianenko-level of legendary just yet.
Emelianenko has his streak, and Silva has his…umm…Silva-ness, and Aldo simply cannot touch that just yet.
Is Aldo No. 3 all time?
Nope. That honor goes to Mr. Jonny “Bones” Jones.
Four title defenses and a gauntlet of light heavyweight legends lay conquered in the wake of his destruction, and Bones’ run in the 205-pound division is instantly legendary in my eyes.
His blend of size, athleticism and finishing instinct is absolutely ridiculous, and Aldo is ever-so-slightly less impressive than Jones in my eyes.
Ask yourself this: Would Jon Jones ever see four decisions in six bouts?
I think not.
Now, the most challenging question: Can Jose Aldo be ranked above Georges St-Pierre when ranking the all-time greats?
Yes. Yes he can.
…And I’m saying he is.
Aldo, like GSP, has his strength. GSP can win every fight through his superior grappling skills, and Aldo is impossible to conquer on the feet.
To complement these skill sets, GSP has exceptional standup to fall back on if he cannot take his opponent down or elects not to, while Aldo has spectacular takedown defense to ensure that he never has to fight off his back.
So who is more beatable?
To me, the answer is GSP.
Sure, Aldo dropped a couple of rounds to Edgar and one to Hominick, but GSP has been knocked out inside the Octagon and bested on the feet by Jake Shields at times.
Furthermore, GSP has shown an inability to finish much lesser opponents like Dan Hardy and ThiagoAlves in his comfort zone, and that is alarming.
If Aldo stands with a terrible striker, he knocks them out (see: Gamburyan, Manny). If GSP grapples a terrible ground technician, he still grind out a decision.
That fact, coupled with Aldo’s more impressive winning streak separates the featherweight champion from GSP for me, and for that, Aldo slides in at No. 4 all-time, passing the legendary Canadian along the way.
He still has some work to do to reach the top of the proverbial mountain, but there is no questioning Aldo’s legitimacy as one of the all-time MMA greats.
Oh, and he’s only 26 years old, so prepare for this conversation to crank up its intensity in the upcoming years.
To quote the great Joe Rogan, “Jose Aldo is for real, ladies and gentlemen.”
It was supposed to be one of the more predictable cards to predict. Instead it was a card where super fights were shattered and Dana White was likely slamming his head on a table. It was a very odd night with two major upsets and most of the fighters r…
It was supposed to be one of the more predictable cards to predict. Instead it was a card where super fights were shattered and Dana White was likely slamming his head on a table. It was a very odd night with two major upsets and most of the fighters returning from long layoffs showing severe ring rust.
The show was very odd with how stars like Alistair Overeem and Rashad Evans showed little explosiveness and no sense of urgency. These are two fighters that are among the best in the world and they fought like it was a sparring session in their local gym.
The main event delivered and it brought some excitement through each round. After a night of fights having no real danger of finishing to an upset that came out of nowhere, it was a pretty lackluster pay-per-view for the most part. Here is the breakdown of the main card.
