After Amanda Nunes tested positive for COVID19, the Bantamweight bout between Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz moved up to become the co-main event of UFC 265.
Jose Aldo or “The King of Rio” (29-7-0) was one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in the six years he spent in the Featherweight division. During this time, he completely dominated the division and once that came to an end he remained relevant in the rankings, but in the Bantamweight division where he is currently ranked #5 and has his eyes on the championship. Jose bounced back from back-to-back defeats against Petr Yan and Marlon Moraes when he defeated Marlon Vera via Unanimous decision back in December 2020.
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As for his opponent, “The Young Punisher”, Pedro Munhoz holds an MMA record of 19 wins facing defeat just five times and is currently ranked #9 in the Bantamweight division. The Brazilian has been competing in the UFC since 2014 but not many knew about him. In 2019, he came on the radar when he knocked out Cody Garbrandt. After upsetting the former champion, he went on to fight against Frankie Edar and current Bantamweight champion where he lost via split and unanimous decision respectively before claiming a rebound win over top ten ranked Jimmie Rivera which brought him back to business in the division.
Prediction: Jose Aldo to win via decision
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Both the fighters have high-level Jiu-Jitsu belts under their name but both of them prefer to stand and demonstrate their powerful punches and leg kicks. The only thing that differs is the way both fighters execute their moves. Aldo has the upper hand here as he has the ability to land impactful strikes early on in the fight. Although his opponent, Munhoz has shown that he has the ability to increase his pace in fights, we have also seen him willing to stand in front of heavy hitters giving them a chance to land devastating punches which is something he needs to look out for against Aldo. There is no doubt that Munhoz will pick up with the pace of the fight but Aldo has much potential to do more damage and win the fight via decision.
[Image Credit: UFC Russia]
Shashank Iyer