This Sunday we will finally get an answer to the most debated MMA question for the past 15 months; who is the best featherweight in the world?Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor collide in the biggest fight in the history of the UFC. A collision of styles, a collision of countries, a collision of personalities and a collision of icons. A long time king faces a rising challenger ready to ascend the thrown and usher in a new era. The culmination of a journey that began almost 12 months ago.After the anticipation, the disappointment and ultimate resurrection of UFC 189, the much awaited, highly anticipated, long overdue title unification fight between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor is finally here.There has never been this much excitement around a fight in a long time. Records will be shattered, hearts will be broken, dreams will be realised and in the end, there will only be one true king.
#1 Road to the Octagon
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Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo is the only man to ever hold the UFC featherweight title. He has been undefeated for 10 years and is the best pound for pound fighter on the planet. Win or lose come Sunday, Aldo is unquestionably the greatest featherweight of all time. A win over Conor will not only secure that status but also prove once and for all that he is the best.
Growing up in harsh poverty, Aldo would go days without eating and often sleep on the mats of the gym where he still trains today. From the depths of despair he has risen to become a national hero and global icon. His list of conquered challengers reads like a future hall of fame ballot. Conor McGregor represents the greatest test in a storied career for Aldo.
Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor has taken the UFC by storm. In just over two years, which included a 10 month injury lay off, Conor has established himself as the biggest name in the game. A 2 division champion with cage warriors and an interim champion in the UFC, Conor will look to silence his doubters once and for all by becoming the first ever Irish UFC champion.
Once you take away all the trash talk, all the constant reminders of his wealth and all the flaunting of his fame, what you are left with when it comes to Conor McGregor is a man who puts the art is martial arts.
#2 Jose Aldo Analysis
Looking at Aldo in the octagon is like looking at a car with a German made engine. It isn’t flashy but it’s efficient and effective. In his last few performances, Aldo has streamlined his striking offence. His incorporation of feints along with his athleticism and power make his simplistic style very dangerous. Aldo relies on his jab, straight and left hook to start off his combinations which more often than not culminate with a leg kick.
Aldo uses his jab to prevent fighters getting too close. However against McGregor, don’t expect to see too much of it. The closer he can get to Conor, the better. Aldo has a reputation of mercilessly punishing his opponents lead leg with vicious leg kicks. All but one of them however were southpaws like Conor. When he fought the exception, Kenny Florian, Aldo was able to adapt his set up strikes in order to remain effective with his leg kicks.
Aldo is an efficient counter striker. He will rarely lead, forcing opponents to reach for him so he can land his shots with relative ease. While most people will look at Aldo’s leg kicks as his primary weapon against Conor, the Brazilian’s trump cards are his knees. Aldo is capable of landing shots with his knees in the clinch. He stopped Chad Mendes with a knee in their first meeting and knee attacks have become a bigger feature in his arsenal ever since. If Aldo is successful at closing distance, the knee to the body and the head could be the difference maker.
While he is known primarily for his striking, Aldo is also a decent wrestler. He only ever turns to his wrestling when he is tired like in his fights against Mark Hominick and the Korean Zombie. After the success Chad Mendes had against Conor with wrestling, Aldo could implement much of the same.
If the knees are Aldo’s trump card then Jiu Jitsu is his hidden weapon. He first entered MMA as a grappler and is a very capable BJJ black belt. He has however not needed to rely on it thus far in his illustrious career but he could pull it out of the hat against a lesser grappler like Conor.
There is a question of ring rust with Aldo. He has not fought in 15 months and ordinarily that would be a hindrance for a fighter. However given that he has had more than a year now to prepare for McGregor and has had two back to back camps training for this fight negate the ring rust argument. The second camp in the build up to the fight this Sunday was essentially an opportunity to correct everything that went wrong in the first camp. Pulling out of the fight actually worked in Aldo’s favour as he has had more time to prepare for a fight against the same man, whereas his opponent has had other things on his plate.
Watch Jose Aldo beat the Korean Zombie in the video below :-
#3 Conor McGregor Analysis
Conor McGregor is arguably the most fascinating fighters in MMA. Not for what he does outside the octagon, but for what he does in it. He is an artist and a fight is his exhibition. His movement, his technique, his accuracy, his philosophies and his constant search for self-betterment all come together to make him who he is. A fight to Conor is like a dance and there are very few better dancers around. At times he looks like poetry in motion. A graceful fighter, he seems to glide across the octagon during his bouts.
He does not possess elite level wrestling or grappling but his striking is second to none. He rarely jabs and only really hooks when he has his opponent hurt. Conor’s primary and sometimes only weapon is his left straight.
What makes his straight left so devastating is the accuracy with which it lands. Conor holds the record for the most accurate punches of any featherweight in the UFC. It is this accuracy coupled with never before seen power in the 145lbs division that makes Conor McGregor so dangerous. A fight against someone with a clashing stance allows Conor a direct route to the chin with his left hand. The straight left is also a natural counter to a leg kick, which as we have already discussed, is Jose Aldo’s primary weapon.
Conor uses his movement to set up his favoured left straight. Conor’s obsession with movement has been well documented and against the flat Thai boxing style of Aldo, constant movement and changing angles could be the key to unlock the Brazilian’s defences.
Conor’s set ups though begin well before the first shot is landed. He gets into his opponents head, not just before the fight, but during it as well. Against Chad Mendes he kept talking throughout the fight almost forcing Mendes to react to what he was hearing rather than what he was seeing. McGregor is a master illusionist. A distracts his opponent, forcing them to focus on one thing, when he is actually setting up something completely different. He backs his opponents up with his unorthodox kicks and once he was them cornered unleashes the left hand on them. He does so many things in the octagon that he breaks his opponent by forcing them to digest too much information.
For more on Conor McGregor’s game look at Jack Slack’s excellent breakdown of the Irishman in the video below: -
#4 Prediction
Let’s be clear, this is the most difficult prediction to make. Anyone who says they know for sure who will win is either intentionally turning a blind eye to the strengths of the other fighter or is just lying.
Aldo vs. McGregor is a unique stylistic match up. The calm technique drive brilliance of the Brazilian against the beautiful chaos of the Irishman.
Aldo’s leg kicks are a big plus in his column and he may very well be the fastest 145lbs fighter in the world. He does possess an excellent explosive attacking style allowing him to catch opponents unaware.
McGregor’s straight left is a game changer however and Jose Aldo seems to be sleeping on McGregor’s power. The mental breakdown in the build up to this fight and the physical beat down over the years that Aldo has had to endure give Conor an advantage.
McGregor at the end of the day has too much for Aldo standing up. His chin is rock solid while Aldo’s may very well be compromised, especially after his Chad Mendes fight. Though I am picking McGregor, Aldo winning would hardly be a surprise let alone an upset. One thing is certain however, this fight will not go the distance. Both men are far too capable of inflicting damage for their bodies to hold up
Prediction: - Conor McGregor via TKO Round 3
