Jose Aldo has a problem. An odd sentence, to be sure, written about a guy who is essentially perfect. No one has come close to him when it comes to striking. His jiu-jitsu was world-class years ago – and training at Nova União has only made him better. And his wrestling is so absurdly good that Chad Mendes was wowed by it.
“Jose Aldo is a different beast.” – Chad Mendes
But, he’s not flawless. No diamond is. Jose Aldo has a problem with his cardio. We’ve seen it manifest in a number of fights. He’s famous for doing “just enough” to win. Now, keep in mind the key: “to win.” Aldo doesn’t lose. He never loses. But since no man is perfect, he must have a vulnerability and Aldo’s is his cardio. It famously manifested itself against Mark Hominick. Yes, he destroyed the Canadian. He beat him in every area of the fight. He was dead tired and still managed head movement that would make most stand in awe. But: he gassed. A fight he was easily walking away with got much closer because Aldo spent the entire fifth round on his back, gasping for breath (“he was sick” – sure). This is a problem.
It’s a problem because Conor McGregor has many weaknesses, but cardio isn’t one of them. It should be, as he seemingly cuts an absurd amount of weight, but it isn’t. Just look at his last fight with Chad Mendes. Mendes would take McGregor down, hitting him with thudding elbows, and the very moment – not a few seconds later after regrouping but the moment they were on their feet – Conor was attacking and pressing. That could be an issue of Aldo.
Aldo is a front-runner, but in the best sense of the word. He sets the pace in all of his fights. Get too close, he hits you. Too far away? He kicks you. No matter what happens in a fight, every single opponent – without fail – reacts to what Aldo does. McGregor may be the exception. And that exception may prove to be Aldo’s downfall.
Set aside the trash talk. Pretend Aldo isn’t secretly sitting and seething at the nonsense that comes from McGregor’s mouth. Aldo is used to guys fighting tentatively against him. They only move when he has essentially deemed it OK. McGregor doesn’t have those tendencies. When he fought Mendes, even though everyone in the world knew that Chad’s strongest area was wrestling as much as McGregor’s weakest was the same, Conor pressed forward. He didn’t sit back, try to anticipate a shot, stuff it, and then strike. He went forward and didn’t give a shit what Mendes had to offer.
This could be an issue for Aldo. I can’t in good conscious say that Aldo isn’t the better striker. Just on kicks alone, he’s worlds ahead of everyone. And McGregor has a wider stance than most, making it more difficult for him to check kicks, leaving him wide open to what Aldo has to offer.
And we’ve seen Aldo’s pure boxing throughout his career. It’s the same that dropped Mendes. It’s the same that dropped Hominick at will. It is precise to the point of near perfection. But, again, there’s the issue of pace. No matter how good you are, if you can’t breath, if you can’t get a moment or two to regain your bearings, you can be beat. McGregor is a specialist in pressure. More than that, McGregor has shown a remarkable ability to continually attack the body, be it punches, kicks, whatever, from wherever.
Aldo steps back, attempts to gather himself, and all he will see is a cocksure Irishman in his face. If Aldo gets a takedown, he’ll hearing nothing but non-stop chatter. Fuck, it wouldn’t be a surprise if McGregor specifically memorized Portugeuse insults just to yell at Aldo. When analysts say that “MMA is 90% mental” they have to be talking about McGregor. (or: they’re just spouting clichés because they suck)
This isn’t to be confused with McGregor absolutely beating Aldo. Aldo is still the greatest fighter on earth. He is the greatest featherweight on earth. He is the man who has held his title while all others fell. But sometimes a man has the answer to a question. McGregor talks and talks but he’s backed it up. If there’s ever a man that can answer the question that is Jose Aldo, it is Conor McGregor.
Saturday is going to be fun.
And don’t forget, all month long we’ll be featuring our 27 UFC Gifts for the Fight Fan in your life post just for you so you can make Christmas easier on yourself while also being a hero!
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