![]() So, does Aldo retain the belt… or does he go down in a hail of gunfire?ĭavid: I think Aldo is more like the older facsimile, Carlito Brigante, at this point. Money was Scarface’s downfall in the Pacino flick. Regardless, it’s exciting times for the featherweight division, and it’d be a shame for it to go into the sunlight without the man who ruled it for so long at its helm. Phil: I’m a big fan of Aldo, but there have certainly been rumblings from fans who have been unimpressed with some of his low-output, borderline-conservative wins of late, and his tendency to get injured. We don’t count as media, right? I mean, we’re just hobbyists in my estimation, correct? Because if I’m allowed to speak freely, the stakes are higher than usual because the division is more interesting with Aldo as champion. Hopefully for him, it’s just another leg kicking, face punching day at the office. He is the last current Brazilian champion in the UFC, fighting on home turf.ĭavid: Hopefully he doesn’t see it that way. He’s not even just the last Nova Uniao champion in a major promotion, as Renan Barao (UFC) and Dudu Dantas (Bellator) both lost their belts earlier this year. Phil: Jose Aldo is not just a pound-for-pound stalwart and a dominant champion. This is the best FW fight in the division, period. like transformation from wrestle-sometimes-boxer to brutal boxer-sometimes-wrestler. As for Chad Mendes, he’s experienced a Lon Chaney Jr. His performances have been a little erratic at times, and he hasn’t been as violent as observers would like, but he’s still holding that belt which he so effortlessly took against Mike Brown. Along the way he’s both dazzled and befuddled fans and experts. Jose Aldo entered Zuffa’s home with a ton of hype, and justified by debuting with a big win over then somebody Alexandre “Pequeno”. Mendes came out with the intention of taking Aldo's head clean off, but the Brazilian did enough to quell the onslaught from arguably the heaviest hitter in the division's over 25 gruelling minutes and keep hold of that belt.Īs we build up to UFC 194 we examined Aldo's ability to boss the Octagon against Ricardo Lamas, as well as his brutal chess-match victory over Frankie Edgar.History lesson / introduction to the fightersĭavid: Let’s stick with the cliff notes version on this one. It wasn't a comfortable fight, not by a long shot, but these are the types of hard-fought victories that define a great champion. He forced the pressure on his exhausted adversary and did everything in his power to secure that final round and take home the unanimous decision victory. He showcased his stellar takedown defence yet again, by stopping two of three attempts from the wrestler, and even managed to briefly take his back from a stuffed takedown attempt.Īldo outworked Mendes in the fifth by landing more than the double the amount the strikes than his opponent. Instead, he capitalised on his opponent's fatigue and turned on the offence. Knowing that this was a close fight, Aldo didn't coast towards the decision like he did against Lamas. Mendes had given everything he had in the first four rounds, which was obvious from his heavy breathing and his much more laboured movement in the fifth. However, against everyone's expectations, it appeared Aldo had more left in the tank, which may have been the result of that "breather" he took in the fourth. Going into the final round, Mendes knew he needed a finish to usurp King Aldo's featherweight throne. It looked like Mendes did enough to nab the fourth stanza, although he may not have inflicted the amount of damage he would have liked against the champion. Early in round four, it seemed that this prediction might come true as Aldo appeared to take his foot off the gas pedal and allow Mendes to get in some good shots. Many felt that if the fight went the distance it would give Mendes the advantage because of Aldo's tendency to fade in the latter stages. He stood toe-to-toe with the American and waited for Mendes to make a mistake before duly punishing him with his much-vaunted countering ability. However, Aldo was unwilling to let Mendes' gutsy tactics intimidate him. He did manage to score some heavy blows and at times looked like he was on the cusp of taking charge of the striking battle. Mendes' constant pressuring of the champion wasn't fruitless. ![]() He landed on the money with several huge uppercuts, straights and hooks which stumbled the champion, but couldn't knock him down to the mat.Īldo's safety net of his Jay Leno-like chin allowed him to absorb Mendes' best and give himself the opportunity to fire back with some forceful punches of his own. ![]() Mendes met Aldo in the centre and had success swinging his cinder blocks of hands. ![]() Decoding Aldo Part III - Scarface v the Answer.Decoding Aldo Part I - Scarface v the Bully.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |