Issue 135
December 2015
FO asks the experts why the UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighter is the underdog ahead of this year’s biggest fight
July’s 145lb title fight between José Aldo and Conor McGregor was set to be the biggest fight in UFC history, but the cruel MMA gods decided it wasn’t to be. They struck down the Brazilian with a rib injury, and his Irish nemesis dispatched Chad Mendes in style instead.
But these favorites of the featherweight division couldn’t be kept apart forever. McGregor’s capture of interim gold increased anticipation even higher for what is now a champion vs. champion super-fight.
The debate about who’ll win has also heated up now the kid from Crumlin has backed up all his talk by taking out a true, top contender. Oddsmakers are now backing ‘The Notorious’, but many believe Aldo is still the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game. So what do the experts think? FO finds out.
José Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
Mike Rodriguez
Boxing coach at American Top Team who trained Dustin Poirier for his fight with McGregor
Honestly, I really like Conor McGregor. I’m not talking about the promotional aspect, I’m talking about Conor McGregor the fighter and the skills he possesses. I like his style. First of all, he can punch hard and he’s extremely accurate with his punches.
He has precise, effective and efficient striking, which is impressive. He’s very comfortable striking as well. He has so much confidence in his abilities, sometimes it throws opponents off their game. He shows no fear whatsoever and that’s an impressive trait to have.
When I see him, I say to myself that this guy is a really good striker. He’s confident and he throws punches whenever he wants to throw them and he throws kicks whenever he wants to throw them. He’s never ever throwing anything in desperation. Whenever he throws a strike it has intent behind it and he also has a lot of nice set ups. Honestly, he can throw pretty much any punch, which to me shows that he has really good boxing.
It’ll be a good fight because Aldo is a beast, but Conor has been on such a roll and he’s been promoted very nicely by the UFC. We see more of him, even though José Aldo is a beast in his own right, but I just like his style and the way he fights. So if I had to pick who’s going to win out of the two I’m going to have to go with Conor.
Winner: Conor McGregor
Eric Del Fierro
Head coach at Alliance Training Center, California, with a stable of top fighters including Dominick Cruz
I was one of the minority that actually believed Conor has what it takes to really beat Aldo when the first fight was first made and I’ve see nothing since to make me think otherwise.
The reason I believed that then and still do now is because if you go back and watch Aldo’s performance against ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung, the length and the awkwardness of Jung’s striking gave Aldo a whole lot of trouble. Some would even say The Korean Zombie was winning that fight before Aldo scored a fourth round TKO.
Conor poses the same type of threat. His style, his striking, his reach, just how big he is – it will give Aldo a lot of trouble.
Conor also has the mental toughness to go with his skill set and he’s a powerful striker. The confidence he has in himself and the belief in his camp is amazing and that will carry him however high he wants to reach. I don’t think you can mentally break him. We saw an example of this during the world tour for the first fight and I believe that’s half the battle.
Aldo is one of the most dominating champions in UFC history but I just think Conor poses a very difficult match for him. McGregor has the style to give Aldo a lot of trouble. His reach mixed with the power he has makes him an extra-dangerous opponent.
Conor is wired the right way and he has what it takes. His belief is even exceeding his ability as he becomes dominant in the weight class.
Winner: Conor McGregor
Dan Hardy
Former 170lb title challenger and analyst for the UFC’s Inside the Octagon fight preview show
Conor McGregor’s definitely got the momentum with him now, and that’s hugely significant. I would have picked Aldo to win the fight when it was originally scheduled, but some of his momentum has been lost following the world press tour and his injury.
Given how McGregor has done The Ultimate Fighter, stayed out in Las Vegas and had his team around him constantly, he’s kept that momentum up. He’s stayed busy and right in the limelight. He’s not really stepped out of the pressure of fighting for a world title and now he’s got a belt. He knows what it feels like now, and he’s not going to relinquish it freely.
Aldo’s had to watch him have a belt wrapped around his waist. He had to watch McGregor beat up Chad Mendes and I expect that’s going to be a psychological factor as well. He’s had a bit more time to dwell on the fight and he may well be out-thinking himself. Conor’s momentum is just too much right now.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of José Aldo’s – I have been for a long time. I like his style of fighting, but the sport is definitely moving in the direction of the style that Conor McGregor fights and it’s a pleasure to watch him compete.
As for how the fight will actually play out, I’m expecting McGregor to hang back a little bit and try to smoke Aldo out, allow him to expose himself a bit, because the last thing you want to do is to get into a situation where Aldo is able to counter you whenever he likes. But Conor’s patient enough to coast a little bit.
He always repeats the prediction of, “I’m going to stop him in the first round.” And while he may well say that again going into this fight, Conor may actually punk him a little bit and allow him to get a bit anxious and expose himself.
Winner: Conor McGregor
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