Detroit is becoming a great one, since 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 a lot more than just the major event. The PPV portion of the card also includes a banger of a heavyweight fight between Alistair Overeem and Francis Ngannou, as well as 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) has a game plan built on excellent fundamentals and footwork. “Blessed” is always angling and moving his feet to find the best opportunity to strike, working a pressure-based style. That having been said, Holloway can be plenty capable of using his height and reach advantage he generally retains to stick-and-move. The Hawaiian enjoys bullying his opponent against the cage where he can set his feet and throw wicked combinations.
Grappling is not something that Holloway partakes in his amazing takedown defense — he has not been taken down in his previous eight conflicts — signifies his resistance rarely has the opportunity to. His size generally leads to Holloway having a massive leverage edge if the fight goes to the clinch, which permits him to break easily and get back into space.
Jose Aldo’s (+230) sport is built around shield and time. Though that does not sound the sexiest, it has allowed”Scarface” to methodically dismantle virtually every competitor in his way. He is 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 land an stinging punch or signature reduced kick. However, this did not happen in the first fight. Aldo ended up throwing first — and leaving himself open — and not throwing leg kicks, which was a huge issue.
In terms of grappling, it’s largely used defensively for Aldo. The Brazilian has some of their greatest defensive wrestling seen in MMA and, on the rare occasion when he does get taken down, he’s got the grappling ability to cause a scramble and get back to his feet. Although he seldom uses it offensively, Aldo is a good wrestler in his own right. Again, he combines great technical skills with his amazing timing to burst into takedowns. Once on top, Aldo’s seldom seen BJJ black belt takes over and that he passes with ease.
I just don’t think much has changed since the very first fight. Holloway will enter confident and will nevertheless have a decided advantage in terms of size. If Aldo is patient and gets back to his leg-kicking manners, then this could be a tight struggle. However, I really don’t think there is an obvious path to victory for Aldo.
Prediction: Max Holloway (-300)
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