“Blessed” repeated history on Saturday night in Detroit.
In the UFC 218 main event, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway retained his title for the first time in a rematch against former longtime division king Jose Aldo, and he did so in exact fashion in which he took away the belt from the Brazilian less than six months ago.
Heading into UFC 212, Aldo was the champ and Holloway the interim champ. Holloway finished the legend with a third-round TKO. Heading into UFC 218, Holloway was the champ and Aldo the challenger, but yet again, Holloway scored a third-round TKO, stopping the featherweight great with ground-and-pound with just seconds left in the frame.
Aldo started out well, landing a fair amount of strikes on the feet, and somewhat returning to his leg-kicking ways of the past. But Holloway found his groove in the middle of the second round, it seemed, and it was all downhill for the challenger after that. Holloway started putting his combinations together very well, and when Aldo was tired, the Hawaiian forced Aldo into a brawl, where Holloway thrives much more than Aldo. The 25-year-old landed strike after strike on Aldo, who went for a desperate takedown late in the third round. But it backfired, and Holloway got on top, where he landed vicious ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in.
What was the highlight of the fight?
The highlight of the fight was when Holloway unleashed his controlled savagery. And what I mean by that is, Holloway lured Aldo into a brawl, but a technical brawl of sorts. The champ was still able to get out of the way of most of Aldo’s offense during the wild exchanges — he is very good at measuring distance — and only ate a few shots here and there. Most of the damage was coming from Holloway’s side, and his fight IQ really stood out in these final moments, as well. He knew Aldo was tired and when to turn it up a notch, so he did, and it paid off. Aldo withered under the pressure of Holloway, and although it might have looked like a slobberknocker in the late exchanges, Holloway knew what he was doing at all times.
Where do these two go from here?
Two stoppage wins in a row over Aldo, one of the best fighters ever, is huge for Holloway’s career. He’s on a 12-fight winning streak and only getting better and going up from here. I’m not sure who can touch Holloway at featherweight, but it still seems that Frankie Edgar is next. Holloway vs. Edgar was supposed to headline UFC 218, but Edgar pulled out with an injury, and that’s when Aldo stepped up on short notice.
I also think a jump to 155 pounds to face a titleholder like Conor McGregor (in a rematch) or Tony Ferguson is a real possibility in the future, too. But for now, let Holloway defend his title a few times more.
Aldo, on the other hand, is in a real bad spot. I don’t see him ever being crowned a UFC champ again, and I think his decline is quite evident. He’s still one of the better fighters at featherweight — there’s no shame in losing to Holloway — but he has two losses to Holloway on his record now, and he’s clearly two steps behind Holloway, so he’ll have a very tough time getting back in the 145-pound title mix. Instead, especially considering he seemingly had trouble making weight on Friday, I think a move to 155 pounds would only help his career. I’m not sure he beats the best of the best there, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov or Edson Barboza, but nonetheless, there are many intriguing matchups in the new weight class for Aldo, and he’d probably look much better not having to cut as much weight.
Of course, I won’t dispute his decision if he chooses to hang his gloves up, either. As I said, I think it’s just down from here for the ex-champ, and he’s done so much in the sport — those are two very fair reasons to move on.
Watch now, later, or never?
Holloway vs. Aldo 2 was a fun fight while it lasted. Watch now.
Read Again https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/12/3/16729640/ufc-218-video-recap-featherweight-champ-max-holloway-defeats-jose-aldo-third-round-mma-results-newsBagikan Berita Ini
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