Detroit is getting a great one, as the Octagon takes up residence at the Motor City for UFC 218 on December 2. The main event is a rematch between featherweight champion Max Holloway and Jose Aldo, who possessed the division for nearly a decade.
But this card is much more than just the main event. The PPV part of the card also features a banger of a heavyweight fight between Alistair Overeem and Francis Ngannou, in addition to a bout between Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez to ascertain who’s the most brutal fighter in the provider.
Max Holloway vs Jose Aldo
Max Holloway (-300) includes a game plan built on excellent fundamentals and footwork. „Blessed“ is always angling and moving his feet to discover the very best chance to attack, working a pressure-based style. That being said, Holloway can be a lot capable of using his height and reach advantage that he typically holds to stick-and-move. The Hawaiian loves bullying his competitor against the cage where he could set his feet and toss wicked combinations.
Grappling isn’t something that Holloway partakes in his incredible takedown defense — he hasn’t been taken down into his past eight conflicts — means his resistance rarely has the opportunity to. His size generally leads to Holloway having a huge leverage edge if the fight goes to the clinch, which permits him to break easily and get back to space.
Jose Aldo’s (+230) sport is built around shield and time. Though this doesn’t sound the sexiest, it has enabled“Scarface“ to systematically dismantle nearly every opponent in his way. He’s more of a counter-striker who will wait on his competitor to commit before angling off, with a number of the best footwork in MMA, to property an stinging punch or trademark low kick. But this didn’t happen in the first battle. Aldo ended up throwing first — and leaving himself open — rather than throwing leg kicks, which was a huge issue.
In terms of grappling, it is mostly used defensively for Aldo. The Brazilian has some of the best defensive wrestling ever seen in MMA and, on the rare occasion if he can get taken down, he’s got the grappling ability to create a scramble and get back to his feet. Although he seldom uses it , Aldo is a solid wrestler in his own right. Again, he combines good technical skills with his incredible timing to explode into takedowns. Once on top, Aldo’s seldom seen BJJ black belt carries over and he moves effortlessly.
I just do not think much has changed since the very first fight. Holloway will enter certain and will still have a decided advantage concerning size. If Aldo is patient and gets back to his leg-kicking ways, then this could be a tight struggle. But, I don’t think there is an obvious path to victory for Aldo.
Prediction: Max Holloway (-300)
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