Conor McGregor has haunted the dreams and legacies of many athletes as of late. Before the world started clamoring for a match-up between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and The Notorious One, they first were wondering if his win over Jose Aldo was a fluke.
Aldo was once viewed as the most dominant fighter on the planet. He has both the most wins and knockouts in UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight history. He has landed a total of 691 significant strikes in the UFC and the WEC, and holds the record for the longest winning streak in UFC, WEC, Strikeforce and Pride featherweight history, with fifteen consecutive victories.
UFC 212: Inside the Octagon – Jose Aldo vs Max Holloway
Dan Hardy and John Gooden are back to break down the main event of UFC 212 between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway in this episode of Inside the Octagon.
McGregor, after a long trash-talking lead up to their only pairing, came out at the opening bell and knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds. The result made McGregor an instant star. He later went on to have two wars with Nate Diaz and won the lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez in two rounds. Aldo, however, cried foul after his victory over Frankie Edgar last July. It put him in immediate featherweight title contention, but the UFC allowed McGregor to fight Alvarez for a title in a higher weight class.
UFC 212: Jose Aldo – This is Still My Division
No matter what anyone says, Jose Aldo still sees himself as the champion and the best Featherweight on the planet. He looks to prove it when he faces Max Holloway at UFC 212 in a title unification main event.
Although historic for McGregor, it has kept Aldo on the shelf waiting. Once McGregor announced his vacation from fighting to await the birth of his child and ambitions to fight Mayweather next, Aldo became the featherweight champion.
However, as the UFC does, they awarded Max Holloway the opportunity to fight for the interim featherweight championship against Anthony Pettis, who he defeated last December at UFC 206. That put the Hawaiians win streak at 10 and lined up a unification bout with the Brazilian champion. Holloway is a formidable opponent with finishes over Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, and Pettis. It will definitely be a test for Aldo even though he has a decorated pedigree.
UFC 212: Vitor Belfort – One More Time
On February 7, 1997 “The Phenom” made his UFC debut at UFC 12 at the age of 19. Now, 20 years later, UFC 212 may be the last time Vitor Belfort ever steps into the Octagon. Don’t miss UFC 212: Aldo vs Holloway this Saturday, June 3 Live on Pay-Per-View.
Also on the card, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort takes on Nate Marquardt. After being knocked out twice against Ronaldo Jacare Souza and Gegard Mousasi, Belfort had a TKO win against Kevin Gastelum overturned for testing positive for marijuana in March. He now returns looking to keep his aging career alive with a needed win over Nate Marquardt.
Marquardts last fight in January was a decision loss to Sam Alvey, and a win against a former champion can get him back on the right track. Once the Strikeforce champion and the only man to knock out Tyron Woodley, Marquardt is also on the aging fighters list looking to stay relevant in the fast-paced world of MMA.
On the prelims, Raphael Assuncao welcomes dominant former World Series of Fighting champion Marlon Moraes to the UFC. Moraes hasnt lost a fight since 2011 and is riding a 13-fight win streak into the UFC.
Catch all the action live from Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this Saturday at 10 pm EST / 7 pm PST live on pay-per-view.
