Jose Aldo defended the UFC featherweight title for a fifth time on Saturday. He used effective jabs and wrestling prior to taking advantage of Chan Sung Jung’s injured shoulder to earn a knockout win.
At this point, only Anderson Silva and Georges St-P…
Jose Aldo defended the UFC featherweight title for a fifth time on Saturday. He used effective jabs and wrestling prior to taking advantage of Chan Sung Jung’s injured shoulder to earn a knockout win.
At this point, only Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre have recorded more consecutive UFC title defenses than Jose Aldo. With Silva no longer at the top of the middleweight division, Aldo is one of the leaders in the perpetual race for top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Where does Aldo now officially stand in the pound-for-pound rankings?
Phil Davis has one of the most remarkable records in MMA and, save one hiccup against Rashad Evans last year, is virtually undefeated in 14 fights.
On Saturday, he extended that record to 12 wins by defeating Lyoto Machida at UFC 163—a win that p…
Phil Davis has one of the most remarkable records in MMA and, save one hiccup against Rashad Evans last year, is virtually undefeated in 14 fights.
On Saturday, he extended that record to 12 wins by defeating LyotoMachida at UFC 163—a win that puts him closer to a desired title shot at light heavyweight.
However, that shot is unlikely to materialise based on that performance. Despite the fact that Davis is a clear talent at 205 pounds, the win against Machida will go down as one of the biggest robberies of the year and certainly not a performance that warrants a chance to take Jon Jones’ belt.
Davis was outclassed in the stand-up contest against the elusive Brazilian, and his wrestling, for the most part, was neutralised by some of the most effective takedown defence ever seen inside the Octagon.
It’s a tragedy for Machida, who has been so close to a title shot, that this loss will mean that he’ll have to wait a long time before he’s able to have a shot at avenging his loss to Jones from 2011.
For Davis, he’ll have to do much more before he can prove he’s ready to challenge for the belt.
Right now, Jones, who has taken out one challenger after another at 205, is getting ready to take on Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September. After the Swede, there are only a handful of challengers left for Jones and it’s not inconceivable that Davis will be back in the reckoning very soon, even after that performance.
But after Saturday night, it’s likely that Glover Teixeira—the 33-year-old Brazilian who’s been making his own waves in the division—will likely be given the nod for a title match.
Teixeira has a run stretching back to 2005 and his win over James Te Huna at UFC 160 in May capped an incredible 19-fight winning run. He’s due to fight Ryan Bader in September, which is perfect timing for him to step up for a title match after the Jones/Gustafsson match that same month.
That means Davis will likely have to take another fight at light heavyweight before he can be considered a contender. Considering the fact that he’s just defeated the No. 1 contender at that division, and Teixeira is tied up, there aren’t many options left for Davis.
But the few there are could include Dan Henderson, who was also recently considered a contender for the 205 strap until he was defeated by Machida earlier this year. Henderson is ranked seventh in the light heavyweight division, and a win over Davis could help him too in his own title aspiration.
Or perhaps Davis could take on GegardMousasi next, another top-10 light heavyweight he is yet to face. Mousasi is a former 205-pound champion in Strikeforce and, despite rumours that he’s considering dropping to middleweight, could be easily tempted to take on a big name fighter like Davis.
Jose Aldo took care of business once again at UFC 163, where he methodically beat Chan Sung Jung in all areas before taking advantage of a shoulder injury suffered by the Korean.
With five straight title defenses in the UFC featherweight division, Aldo…
Jose Aldo took care of business once again at UFC 163, where he methodically beat Chan Sung Jung in all areas before taking advantage of a shoulder injury suffered by the Korean.
With five straight title defenses in the UFC featherweight division, Aldo’s title reign has only been bested by UFC greats Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. That’s impressive company for a fighter who is still only 26 years old.
Jung, meanwhile, faces another climb back up the featherweight ladder. Three straight wins to start his UFC career made Jung one of the top fighters in the 145-pound division, but the class is now more stacked than ever. The path to a second title shot will be a long one for the Korean.
Now that the event is in the books, it’s time to take a look back at how exactly the UFC 163 main attraction went down.
Keys Stats
Jung did not attempt a takedown. Heading into this bout, many believed Jung’s best chances to beat Aldo would come on the ground, but he did not look to take the fight there once on his own.
Aldo was successful on five of six takedown attempts. Not many expected Aldo to take Jung down in this matchup, but the champion matched his UFC career high with a handful of takedowns over four rounds.
Only 15 percent of Jung’s attempted significant strikes landed. Although Jung did hit Aldo with some solid punches, he found himself swinging at air most of the time on Saturday.
Game Plans
Whatever game plan Aldo came into UFC 163 with may have gone out the window when he broke his foot early on. Instead of standing and boxing, as many expected him to do against Jung, Aldo oftenlooked for takedowns in an effort to take the weight off of his injury.
Jung was much more patient than usual against Aldo, perhaps because both men seemed to be looking to counter when standing. When Jung did rush forward, maybe in an effort to corner Aldo and clinch, the champion moved laterally and circled back toward the center of the Octagon.
Breakdown
Aldo’s wrestling hasn’t been on display much since he worked with Gray Maynard in preparation for Chad Mendes. However, the champion showed on Saturday that he may have taken his wrestling to a new level, which is scary for featherweight contenders.
Even on a broken foot, Aldo’s timing and explosion on takedowns was brilliant against Jung.
While takedowns are usually credited completely to a fighter’s wrestling ability, striking plays a major role in MMAtakedowns. Recognizing patterns in an opponent’s attacks can help a fighter immensely in determining when the time is right to shoot in on their legs.
One tendency Jung revealed at UFC 163 was countering with a left hook on almost every occasion Aldo jabbed.
Aldo’s jab is tough enough to answer when opponent’s mix up their counters to it.
Aldo recognized Jung’s left hook early on and began swaying on the back end of his jab. Eventually, though, the champion realized he could turn Jung’s looping hook into his own offense by answering with a double leg takedown.
Once he realized Aldo had him figured out, Jung began getting a little more wild with his striking, hoping to catch the champion with something less predictable. However, Aldo was ready for just about everything the challenger threw at him.
When Jung begins getting aggressive, he often throws jumping knees, as Bleacher Report’s own Jack Slack notedpre-UFC 163. Although Jung hid it until the third round on Saturday, Aldo was clearly prepared for it and countered by closing the gap with a takedown before the knee could land.
Even though Aldo’s wrestling highlighted the UFC 163 main event, it was a freak accident in a striking exchange that led to the finish. Jung threw a right hand, and Aldo countered with a left over the top, which pressured Jung’s shoulder and caused it to dislocate.
Aldo immediately smelled blood.
The champion threw multiple kicks at Jung’s injured shoulder before taking the Korean to the ground and finishing him with punches.
Result
Aldo defeated Jung by technical knockout (punches) at 2:00 of the fourth round.
UFC 163 took place on Saturday, August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The card’s main event saw UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo defend his title with a fourth-round TKO victory over Chan Sung Jung.
That fight left both figh…
UFC 163 took place on Saturday, August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil. The card’s main event saw UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo defend his title with a fourth-round TKO victory over Chan Sung Jung.
That fight left both fighters in bad shape. Aldo injured his foot with his first kick of the evening, and the TKO was preceded by Jung dislocating his right shoulder.
Those injuries left the two fighters with lengthy medical suspensions following the event. For full UFC 163 medical suspensions, see below.
Jose Aldo: Suspended for 90 days with no contact for 60 days due to fractured right foot.
Chan Sung Jung: Suspended for 180 days unless he has MRI on his right shoulder and gets cleared by a doctor.
LyotoMachida: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Phil Davis: Suspended for 180 days unless he has his right foot X-rayed and cleared by a doctor.
CezarFerreira: Suspended for 14 days with no contact for seven days.
Thiago Santos: Suspended for 90 days with no contact for 60 days.
Thales Leites: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Tom Watson: Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
John Lineker: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
José Maria: Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
Vinny Magalhaes: Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
Anthony Perosh: Suspended for 14 days with no contact for seven days.
Amanda Nunes: Suspended for 180 days unless she has her right rib X-rayed and cleared by a doctor.
Sheila Gaff: Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
Sergio Moraes: Suspended for 14 days with no contact for seven days.
Neil Magny: Suspended for 14 days with no contact for seven days.
Rani Yahya: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Iliarde Santos: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
Ian McCall: Suspended for 180 days unless he has his right hand X-rayed and cleared by a doctor.
Josh Clopton: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
EdnaldoOliveira: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
FrancimarBarroso: Suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
ViscardiAndrade: Suspended for 14 days with no contact for seven days.
Bristol Marunde: Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
Lyoto Machida visualizes a rematch with Phil Davis in his immediate future.
After a disappointing and baffling unanimous decision loss at UFC 163 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, that many felt should have gone his way, “The Dragon” seeks resolution, a…
LyotoMachida visualizes a rematch with Phil Davis in his immediate future.
After a disappointing and baffling unanimous decision loss at UFC 163 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, that many felt should have gone his way, “The Dragon” seeks resolution, and his sights are set on Davis.
I don’t agree with this result…If the UFC can, I would like a rematch with Phil Davis, because I want to prove that I can beat him.
A victim of his own cautious, choosy style in this instance, Machida has come alive after his recent misfortune, clearly vocalizing his displeasure with the result of the fight and with the current scoring system in the sport.
I am very unhappy with MMA rules…I think they (the UFC) don’t prepare you enough for (how the judges) judge the fight. I don’t know what I have to do. Maybe I have to beat everybody to get a chance.
For somebody who has both won and lost close decisions prior to his UFC 163 tilt, one would think Machida would make an effort to finish fights to avoid a situation exactly like the one he finds himself in now. However, such a choice would compromise his fighting style, and a record of 19-4 is certainly tough to argue.
With the majority of the light heavyweight division’s top-10 fighters tied up at the moment, a rematch with Davis seems very reasonable. Making this case stronger, neither fighter was finished or badly injured during the bout, so the sequel could be arranged while the controversy is fresh in our minds.
Personally, I hope the UFC delivers us Davis vs. Machida II. At the end of Round 3 at UFC 163, I silently wished for two more rounds, so hopefully the world’s premier MMA organization can muster something even better: a rematch.
What do you think? Are you interested in a rematch, or does Machida need to shoulder the blame for his conservative fighting style and move on?
Ian McCall will fight you (and beat you) with one hand.
After his entertaining victory over Iliarde Santos at UFC 163, McCall took home the sought after Fight of the Night bonus, as well as something a little less desirable for a man of his profe…
Ian McCall will fight you (and beat you) with one hand.
After his entertaining victory over Iliarde Santos at UFC 163, McCall took home the sought after Fight of the Night bonus, as well as something a little less desirable for a man of his profession: a shattered hand.
McCall popped into the Mixed Martial Arts Underground forums post-fight, showing off the badly swollen, positively ridiculous looking results of a three-round war inside the Octagon.
With the picture, McCall said:
def broken haha
While McCall’s balloon hand provides a gnarly sight, it also brings with it a degree of respect for the flyweight’s performance Saturday evening in Brazil.
Against a physically larger and stronger opponent, McCall showcased excellent striking and footwork, outpacing and outpointing Santos for the bout’s 15-minute duration.
Re-watching the fight, it is unclear when exactly McCall breaks his hand, but he landed a considerable amount of significant strikes in each round, making it likely that he continued punching with his mangled paw.
My knuckle’s gone, so maybe (it’s broken), it doesn’t hurt that much. Me breaking my hand’s not going to stop me from punching him. I’ll just punch until it goes numb—maybe that’s what I did…Breaking your hand’s not a big deal—I’ve done it before—so it’s not going to stop me from hitting the person.
You’ve earned your mustache with those comments, sir.
After a rocky 0-2-1 start to his UFC career, “Uncle Creepy” may have saved his coveted roster spot with the win, and he battled through adversity and pain to do so.
Jose Aldo took care of business once again at 
