Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. The coach of former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight
champ Jose
Aldo knows just what he would do if he were granted matchmaking
powers. On a strong win streak with victories over Marlon Vera,
Pedro
Munhoz and Rob Font, Aldo
is in prime placement for some excellent opportunities in the
bantamweight division. Ranked #5 in his division on
Sherdog and holding the three spot for the UFC’s rankings, Aldo
is currently awaiting his next opponent. Sherdog spoke to Aldo’s
manager and head coach, Andre
Pederneiras, who explained some of the possible matchups for
his fighter and who he would prefer Aldo faced next.
“We have [Petr] Yan
and Aljamain
[Sterling] fighting for the belt in April 9 [at
UFC 273], [it] would make all the sense that [number] two and
[number] three, two former champions, face each other to decide who
would be the next on the line, but [T.J.]
Dillashaw already said that he already got the ‘next
challenger’ spot after beat [Cory]
Sandhagen. He would accept to face Aldo just after the fight
for the title,” Pederneiras explained.
According to Pederneiras, Sandhagen – ranked above Aldo on Sherdog
and below him in the UFC’s rankings – wouldn’t make sense to Aldo
now.
“Aldo is coming from three straight wins and Cory from two straight
losses and is after him in the ranking, what’s the motivation for
Aldo to face him,” Pederneiras asked. “Give him a third loss?”
The
Nova Uniao head then pointed to a pair of additional
possibilities that could interest the former featherweight
champion.
“Dominick
Cruz is a former champion and a legend of the sport,”
Pederneiras noted. “He is coming from two wins and, even being in
the seventh place in the ranking, it could be an interesting ‘super
fight’ for the fans.”
The options are plentiful for Aldo at 135 pounds, as he has only
competed there five times since joining the division in 2019. While
he does have a loss to ex-champ Yan, where he succumbed to strikes
late into the fifth round, Aldo’s coach believes Aldo may be on the
shortlist as a backup for the upcoming title fight.
“Aldo got some vacation with his family right after his win over
Rob
Font last December, now he is back on his diet and also
training,” the coach stated. “In case T.J. is not able to get an
alternate spot, Aldo could be ready on April 9.”
Pederneiras specifically discussed the potential rematch with Yan,
as Aldo defeated his
American Top Team teammate in Munhoz in 2021. Right after the
Munhoz fight, the famed head coach believed that “the Aldo who
fought [Munhoz]” would beat the former interim champion.
“When Aldo fought Yan, it was a terrible moment in Brazil,”
Pederneiras lamented. “My gym was closed at the peak of the
pandemic. It was really hard to get sparring. In the fight, we saw
Aldo starting stronger and coming down in the following rounds,
while the opposite happened to Yan. That wouldn’t happen now
anymore.”
The coach continued, “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to give any
excuses. We know Petr well, once he trained some months with us
here in Brazil, but I have no doubt that in a second fight Aldo has
all the chances to win, even though he has [many] more MMA tools
now and is much more adapted to that weight division than he was in
the first fight. By the way, Aldo showed all his potential to get
the title on his two last fights, and I truly believe he will.”
