Aldo vs. Holloway Pick
The UFC Featherweight Championship is up for grabs on Saturday night when Jose Aldo takes on Max Holloway for the undisputed title at UFC 212.
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Aldo is favored to retain his championship, as he is getting a money line of -155 to win. Holloway is listed with odds of +125 to win the title. These two will meet in the main event of UFC 212, which takes place from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main card airs live on PPV at 10PM ET.
Aldo (26-2) won an interim-title fight at UFC 200 and has now claimed the overall championship that was stripped from Conor McGregor. Aldo lost the belt to McGregor back in December of 2015, but was the 145-pound champ from 2011 until then. He last fought in July, having a convincing 5-round win over Frankie Edgar. Aldo is a tremendous striker with fast hands and devastating kicks. He also has a black belt in jiu-jitsu, but rarely uses his grappling.
Holloway (17-3) comes in on a 10-fight win streak to earn this opportunity. His last loss was also to McGregor, in a three-round decision back in 2013. His last fight was in December, a third-round TKO win over Anthony Pettis. Holloway is a dynamic fighter with great length. He has been able to out-strike opponents and also out-grapple them. He is as well-rounded a fighter in the division.
This is a tough call. It’s easy for fighters to fall off quickly in MMA. After being knocked out in seconds by McGregor, Aldo’s time could have come to an abrupt end. However, he bounced back very nicely against a great fighter in Edgar. Holloway is a beast, but this is the biggest fight in his career, and it is taking place in Aldo’s home country. The nerves could be tough for him to overcome. I can see Holloway pulling off the minor upset, but Aldo is still the best 145-pound fighter in UFC history and I expect him to be at his best tonight.
UFC 212 PREDICTION: JOSE ALDO -155