UFC Predictions: UFC 265: Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane 

#2 UFC bantamweight division: Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munhoz

Jose Aldo still appears to have plenty to offer to the UFC's bantamweight division.

UFC 265 was planned to have another title fight – the UFC bantamweight title clash between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena – in its co-main event slot, but thanks to COVID-19, that fight has now been postponed.

Thankfully, Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munhoz isn’t a bad replacement at all. This fight pits two of the top-ranked 135 lbers in the world against one another. While both men are getting a bit older now, it should still be a lot of fun.

For Munhoz, this probably represents his final chance at breaking into title contention at 135 lb. ‘The Young Punisher’ almost made it there in 2019 with his win over Cody Garbrandt, but lost to future champion Aljamain Sterling and was then forced out for well over a year.

When he returned, he lost to Frankie Edgar. While he has since beaten Jimmie Rivera, he’s probably worse off now than he was before the Garbrandt win.

Aldo, meanwhile, looked just about finished at the top level after he lost to Petr Yan in a UFC bantamweight title fight last year, but bounced back nicely against Marlon Vera in December.

Still smiling, still racking up the wins 🇧🇷 #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/sfFZysIUlk

— UFC (@ufc) December 20, 2020

He’s not the same Aldo who terrorised the featherweight division for nearly a decade. But it’s clear that he’s still got plenty to offer at 135 lb and can certainly compete with the best in the world there.

This fight looks like a good one for the former UFC champion. Aldo is still almost as quick as he was in his prime. He’s still excellent when it comes to firing off leg kicks and rapid-fire combinations too.

Munhoz, in contrast, prefers a more boxing-based attack. While he is an excellent grappler, it’s unlikely he’ll catch a fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Aldo in his signature guillotine.

Could ‘The Young Punisher’ land a big shot to knock Aldo out? Anything is possible in the UFC, but it seems unlikely, given he seems slower than Aldo, and the former champion still has most of his durability intact.

Instead, it’s likely Aldo will land the heavier strikes – probably a lot of combinations. Even if he can’t finish Munhoz, he should be more than capable of outworking him for a decision victory.

The Pick: Aldo via unanimous decision.