Sorry guys but I have been sick and not been able to post or contribute this week. I have not even been able to keep up with my site and I have selected five fights to do breakdowns on. I will post them here and if anyone wants to read them at my site that is fine. It's just a cleaner way out of reading as if I post the full breakdown ITT it's going to take up incredible amount of space and if I put it in the spoilers it's going to be condensed and look like a fucking "War and Peace" novel. If only Tolstoy broke down MMA fights LOL
I just don't want people complaining that I'm spamming my site. If anyone has a problem with it or move it immediately. But like I said I'll also post the breakdowns ITT
http://mmagamblingtips.com/blog/index
BTW: tell me if I should put these in spoiler and I will go back and do that too.
Without further blah blah blah blah… Here are my breakdowns:
145 lbs.: Jose “Junior” Aldo (26-2) vs. Max “Blessed” Holloway (17-3)
The wizard is back! A Muay-Thai wrecking machine with the best TDD in the game, Aldo is back to remind the world why 13 seconds don't define a career. Nor should they. After going undefeated for over a decade, Jose Aldo was flattened, humbled, and embarrassed by his nemesis Conor McGregor on the biggest stage of his career.
All he did to get back on track was thoroughly demolish the pesky wrestle-boxing warrior Frankie Edgar for five rounds. Not only did Aldo beat Edgar to get his title back, but he didn't even break a sweat. Using his 93% take down defense and a few sparse striking weapons in the jab and occasional right hook, Aldo thoroughly shut Frankie down and made a future Hall of Fame fighter look like a rank amateur. That is the level of athlete and mixed martial arts technician you are dealing with when talking about the greatest featherweight to ever don a pair for ounce gloves.
Prior to stifling Edgar, there were times when Aldo was beginning to look a bit more human than before. Namely, in fights with the Korean Zombie, Ricardo Lamas, and especially in his second tilt against Chad Mendes. In the rematch with Chad, Jose was hit more times than any other fight I can remember him being in. He wasn't just hit clean, but he was dropped and at times plodding without any head movement whatsoever. It's a testament to how good he is that he is able to have off nights and still win the fight.
Aldo is at his best when he's able to play the role of counterpuncher. The 30-year-old featherweight kingpin has never been especially great playing the role of the stalker. When he is putting people onto highlight reels, it's usually off of the counter. That is when he is slipping a shot and using his amazing quick twitch muscles to explode into something like a coiled spring. You rarely see Jose on his front foot throwing volume strikes or causing his man to wilt under the pressure. Instead the best anti-wrestler we've ever seen uses his takedown defense to dictate where the fight takes place, and elite counter-striking to defeat them.
Riding a 10 fight win streak in the UFC's Featherweight division, Max Holloway is looking to unify the 145 pounds straps this Saturday. He's also looking to show the world that he is the best featherweight all the planet. A victory over Jose Aldo would go along way in doing just that.
When it comes to growing up and developing before our very eyes, Max is the fighter we can most relate to. The 26-year-old Hawaiian began his UFC career with only four fights to his resume and was thrown directly to the walls against Dustin Poirier. He was quickly submitted but it didn't take a special person to see that the UFC had a diamond in the rough on their hands. All he has done since losing that debut is win 10 of his last 12 fights. More importantly is who he has done it against.
Anthony Pettis, Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, Ricardo Lamas, and Jeremy Stephens are just five of the heavy hitters the Holloway has vanquished en route to this title shot.
One of the most notable aspects of Holloway's game in 2017 is the maturity. Gone are the "flash first" and "crowd entertainment" stylings of yore. Today Max only leaps into the air for a flying knee if it's there, not merely to drop jaws.
Max Holloway is exceptionally talented. The lone FW to take McGregor's "Touch of Death" straight left and live to tell the tale. Holloway has demonstrated an iron beard but a lot ot his ability to withstand bombs to the dome is his carefree and composed demeanor in the cage. Max worries about kicks and punches flying at him like a bird worries about it raining worms. Like a concert pianist with music, fighting is his way to express himself and he does it with beautiful destruction.
If you're looking for a style to beat Jose it is a counterstriker with excellent footwork who is also able to make Aldo come to him. The best example of this was the first time that Randy Couture fought Chuck Liddell. For years Chuck was able to get on his bike and use his counter-wrestling to remain upright and pick his man a part from outside. However. Randy made Chuck lead the dance and that is not his style.
Max Holloway has the skill set to do this. What's more, he has the cardio to drain Aldo's battery. Holloway is a more active striker. In fact, Holloway attempts 13.2 significant strikes per minute whereas Jose attempts 7.6 significant strikes per minute. Holloway all lands more SSPM than Aldo. The difference being 5.67 per minute compared to 3.28 for Aldo.
Potentially the worst that Aldo has looked aside from the Chad Mendes tussle was his war of attrition against kickboxer Marc Hominick. Don't get me wrong, Aldo was in control for major portions of this fight and busted Hominick up to the point that the Canadian looked like the Elephant Man after the bout. However, Hominick had his moments. Specifically, the former title challenger was able to slip Aldo's strikes and work the midsection throughout the fight. A lot of people blame Aldo fading from a terrible weight-cut — which is partly true — but it was the repetitive body shots from Hominick that exacerbated the depletion of Aldo's gas tank.
Holloway is a much better boxer and diverse striker than Hominick, and if he can repeat this blueprint and add to it, he is going to put himself in a position to pull off the upset.
Watching footage to research this fight and break it down has been a joy. It caused me to remember just how damn good Jose Aldo is. Nevertheless, I believe we see in upset on Saturday. I think Max Holloway uses his spindley 5'11" frame to tower over the 5'7" Aldo and pepper him with relentless strikes from every direction. Max is going to make Jose dig to the bottom of the tool chest if he wants to keep the strap around his waist.
The 26-year-old Hawaiian cuts angles exquisitely and through controlled chaos moves like a well lubricated weathervane. I believe everything is coming together perfectly at this time and after weathering the early storm Max definitively takes rounds three, four and five to solidify himself as the undisputed featherweight champion of the world.
Prediction: Max "Blessed" Holloway by decision