UFC 194: Aldo versus McGregor preview and tips

This Sunday, the UFC will finish up a record-shattering year of major events with arguably their strongest ever offering on pay-per-view, headlined by Jose Aldo versus Conor McGregor for the unified featherweight championship.

Aldo, the first and only UFC 145-pound champion in history, is truly one of the best to ever strap on a pair of fingerless mixed martial arts gloves.
The 29-year-old veteran has not tasted defeat in more than a decade, effortlessly fending off a murderers’ row of title challengers for six years and counting.
McGregor is different, though. He’s the greatest threat to the Brazilian champion’s title by a wide margin.The interim UFC titlist is an outstanding fighter. He’s dangerously fast, has absolute dynamite in his left hand, and to date has yet to even be challenged in the Octagon.
McGregor entered the UFC as a largely untested prospect with an impressive eight-bout winning streak after lording over a weak crop of European fighters.The talented Dubliner drew American Top Team student Marcus Brimage in his UFC debut fight, finishing the up-and-comer with an uppercut that almost separated head from body.It’s been off to the races ever since. McGregor has won five more bouts, with his most recent, a main event fight against American wrestler Chad Mendes, earning him the interim UFC featherweight title.The Notorious’ McGregor was booked to face Aldo that night in June. The UFC poured millions of dollars into promoting the clash, only to see it go up in flames after a rib injury to Aldo cancelled the match-up.Barring either fighter getting hurt late or a ridiculous weight-cutting debacle, Aldo and McGregor are finally set to meet on Sunday.The featherweight clash is one of the best main events the company has ever produced in their 22-year history – a classic high-stakes title fight with gold, glory and bragging rights on the line.McGregor, on paper at least, seems like Aldo vs Mcgregor Live the perfect foil for Aldo. He’s got an unblemished chin, an unorthodox style, great lateral movement and the ability to land one-punch knockouts.The former two-division Cage Warriors champion relies on pressure, pace and power. He has a textbook jab and a flashy variety of kicks, but his game largely revolves around his straight left punch down the middle. He throws it early and often, usually with disastrous effects.McGregor has a very good chance of connecting with one of those powerhouse lefts and becoming the second ever UFC featherweight champion, but picking fights all come down to percentages, odds and the most likely outcome.There’s a pretty high chance of McGregor getting that aforementioned knockout, but I think Aldo slowly chopping the lanky fighter down to size is the most likely outcome.One of the strongest reasons I’m siding with Aldo on Sunday is his ability to not only stay calm under pressure but to thrive in that environment. Aldo has tested his mettle under fire more than once and is yet to stumble in the UFC’s cage, racking up a perfect 7-0 record against former champions and all-time great featherweights.In his last fight, a five-round classic against ‘Money’ Mendes, the Brazilian Muay Thai artist faced a powerhouse wrestler with thudding knockout power.Mendes was a serious challenge for Aldo, but the champ looked better than ever, showing a more diverse striking arsenal and improved cardiovascular fitness.Aldo is essentially an old-style kickboxer with excellent takedown defence. He strings together punch-kick combos in fluid sequences which set up his power shots.The champ’s kicking game is a major threat to McGregor, too. The Irishman has prided himself on his ability to walk through fire. Like he’s bulletproof, McGregor chooses to march through his opponents punches, sometimes eating two or three blows to land a power strike of his own.
That’s a terrible idea against Aldo. That gameplan will fast turn him into a punching bag with a funny accent.Another thing Aldo has in his back pocket is a surprisingly good grappling game. The pound-for-pound king is good at landing trip takedowns, and on the mat has Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt-level submission chops.McGregor, on the other hand, doesn’t. His ground game is sorely lacking. We saw in his bout against Mendes earlier this year, the talented striker was powered to the floor and absolutely dominated.All these small advantages add up to a big enough one for me to pick Aldo in an incredibly competitive back-and-forth thriller.After more than a year’s worth of anticipation, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (25-1-0) and No. 1 contender Conor McGregor (18-2-0) will finally step into the octagon with one another. The Brazilian champion and Irish interim title holder will meet at UFC 194 on Dec. 12 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, as they headline the UFC’s year-end pay-per-view event.These two were originally slated to meet at UFC 189 in July but a rib injury forced Aldo to drop out of the bout a few weeks prior. McGregor instead fought Chad Mendes and won the interim championship with a second-round TKO. McGregor, who did his share of trash talking on an eight-city world press tour leading up to the original fight date, took Aldo’s injury as a sign of fear and still claims he doesn’t think Aldo will even show up in Las Vega"I still don't think he will show," McGregor told GQ magazine. "I am trying to be optimistic but I am never wrong, I always predict the outcome of my fights and I am never wrong."Even if Aldo does come to fight at UFC 194, McGregor says the fight has already been won."I have beaten him already," said the Dublin native. "He is dead. Look at his body language. His body is weak and his mind is weaker. I can smell the lack of confidence … He cannot beat me. He knows it. It's why he went running last time."Among his few responses to McGregor’s antics, Aldo expressed confidence about his chances. "My focus is to win ... I’m sure he will leave the fight injured and I will leave with the win,” Aldo told Brazilian multimedia outlet Globo in October. Aldo hasn’t lost a fight in 10 years and has been an MMA featherweight champion since 2009.Aldo is considered one of the greatest Brazilian fighters of all-time and is the only champion in the history of UFC’s featherweight division, defending his belt seven consecutive times. Aldo’s fighting base is Brazilian jiu-jitsu but he’s known mainly for his aggressive striking. In addition to a willingness to throw punches, Aldo possesses a strong ground game and the ability to submit high-level grapplers. His agile footwork allows him to move around the octagon with ease and he’s got a variety of kicks and knees that he frequently employs.
In addition to offensive skills, the current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter is an excellent defender, avoiding 91 percent of total takedowns attempted against him. Aldo began fighting in the WEC in 2008 before its unification with UFC in 2010. Of his 25 victories, 14 have come via knockout but has won three of his last four fights by decision.Since his UFC arrival two years ago, McGregor has been one of the sport’s biggest draws and arguably its biggest lightning rod for controversy. His confidence and brashness have made him "must-see TV" for many MMA fans whether they want to see him win or lose. “The Notorious” seems to have developed a fighting style all his own, blending elements from more than one place or style. His approach has been described as "off-beat" and "unusual" and opponents often poorly adjust to his techniqueAn unorthodox fighter with a wide array of skills, McGregor is particularly effective with his feet as a striker. He’s got powerful punching skills and uses his hands like a boxer coupled with muay Thai abilities. Although McGregor is adept at fighting on the ground, he prefers to stand up and dictate the fight from his feet. McGregor also has seems to have higher threshold for pain than most fighters, and little problem dishing out punishment. Five of McGregor’s six victories have been TKOs via punches. Of his 18 victories, 16 have come by knockout.

Latest UFC 194 fight card and rumors for ' McGregor vs Aldo' PPV on Dec. 12 in Las Vega

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stacked its year-end event with a championship doubleheader as Jose Aldo fights Conor McGregor in the five-round featherweight main event, not long after Chris Weidman gets 25 minutes to defend his 185-pound strap in the UFC 194 pay-per-view (PPV) co-headliner, locked and loaded for MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Dec. 12, 2015.

The rescheduled fight between longtime UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo Jr. and interim champ Conor McGregor has a new date and a familiar location.According to a Yahoo Sports report, McGregor and Aldo will meet on Dec. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the site for their originally planned fight on July 11.Additionally, the Kevin Iole report also stated that Ronda Rousey will not defend her title on the Dec. 12 card.In recent weeks, there had been much speculation of a UFC supercard on Dec. 5 at AT & T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Such a card would have featured both Aldo vs. McGregor and Rousey against Miesha Tate.However, according to White, the MGM "moved heaven and earth" in order to land the McGregor fight. The MGM has an Andrea Bocelli concert scheduled for Dec. 5,

 facilitating the move to Dec. 12.Aldo (26-1), who has been world featherweight champ since winning the what was then the WEC belt in Nov. 2009, had to pull out of the fight with McGregor due to a rib injury suffered in training a couple weeks before the fight. This led to both White and McGregor questioning the severity of the injury. Aldo, who has pulled out of several planned fight dates in his reign due to injury, made X-rays of the injury public.When Aldo's fallout was made official, McGregor was paired with Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title. Mendes controlled the action for the better part of two rounds, but made a mistake late in the second. McGregor (19-2) capitalized and won the fight via TKO in the round's closing seconds. That gave the Irish superstar 14 straight wins and put him at 6-0 in the UFC.It remains to be seen on which card Rousey-Tate will land."That fight isn't going to be on the [Aldo-McGregor] card, for sure," White told Yahoo. "If we were going to go to Dallas Cowboys Stadium, that's another story, but the MGM really wanted the fight and they made a huge effort for it and they got it. And it works out better for us to be in Las Vegas."McGregor continued his preparations for his UFC 194 featherweight title fight with Jose Aldo by being put through a session at his training camp on a Los Angeles beach on Tuesday morning.The Irish fighter showed off his ink on Instagram after being put through his paces as he pretended to be stood above Aldo and wrote: 'Wake up Jose. It's all over.'McGregor will finally meet UFC's pound-for-pound great in Las Vegas on December 12 and has been training in LA to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the title bout.  Aldo vs Mcgregor Live Online The 27-year-old has repeatedly raised doubts that Aldo will turn up to the MGM Grand for the fight after the Brazilian pulled out of their last battle in July.If he does show, then McGregor's coach John Kavanagh thinks the fight could be done and dusted within 60 seconds.'I've said from the start that I can see this being a two-round fight,' Kavanagh wrote in the latest column on The 42.'Yet another part of me can see it being over in 60 seconds. 'But we give respect where it's due because Jose Aldo has been the champion for a long time. 'He’ll probably try to slow the pace down and initiate some grappling exchanges. 'However, with Conor’s fight IQ and the manner in which he can read situations, even if Aldo comes out with a completely new style and approach, it won’t take Conor long to work it out. 'It’s almost like The Matrix, in that he sees a new problem which is being presented, downloads the correct response from his brain and then executes the plan.' McGregor, previously speaking in an interview with Irish website Severe MMA, said: 'I'll be there.'I have made it. I have put myself through an intense training camp.'I'm gonna go and enjoy that beach weather, get that Vitamin D and make it to fight night. 'Who cares if he's there or not, I'll be there. I hope he's there, but I don't know.' McGregor fought through a knee injury to win his last fight against Chad Mendes but looks to be in fine fettle at his latest training camp.Conor McGregor is a creative, dangerous fighter and has backed up all of his trash talk and proclamations to date. At this point, just under two weeks away from UFC 194, there are very few viable avenues to discrediting the Irish featherweight, as he’s cleared all the hurdles the UFC has placed in front of him and never really been in serious danger along the way.You can talk about how Chad Mendes didn’t have much trouble taking him down when they fought at UFC 189, but the fact remains that McGregor didn’t get too roughed up in and finished “Money” inside of two rounds. You can pick at the path he had to that fight, but the fact that Max Holloway is unbeaten since their meeting, that Dustin Poirier is now a ranked lightweight and Mendes remains an elite featherweight punch holes in the “he was protected” claims.He is a polarizing figure and a near-perfect star from a combat sports perspective because whether you want to see him win or lose, you’re tuning in to see him compete and listening to him every time he talks, which is quite frequently, plus he has the talent to back it all up. He’s one of the biggest names in the sport and a lot of pre-fight interest in both UFC 189 and next weekend’s pay-per-view event can be attributed directly to the SBG Ireland product.All that being said, have people completely forgotten that Jose Aldo is a goddamn killer that hasn’t been beaten in a decade and has turned back everyone that has stepped to him in the Octagon?Did they get zapped with one of those red light laser sticks from Men in Black, erasing their recollections of Aldo savaging Urijah Faber’s lead leg, outworking Frankie Edgar, kicking Chan Sung Jung in his jacked up shoulder and elevating his game when Chad Mendes reached a new level in their second fight?While the charismatic and easily marketed McGregor being the central figure in the promotion of this event makes perfect sense, the interim champion being the betting favourite and people talking about this fight like it’s a forgone conclusion that “The Notorious Era” is going to continue without question after December 12 seems like a stretch and an indication of how much impact promotional hype can have on shaping the consensus opinions about a fight.It feels like because McGregor has been front and center since his win over Dennis Siver in January while Aldo’s biggest moment this year was being forced to withdraw from their bout in July, large segments of the audience have started taking everything the Irishman says as gospel and pledged their undying loyalty to the Church of Conor, as if Aldo is some paper champion that has never done anything of note in the eight years that he’s been wrecking shop under the Zuffa umbrella.Just in case you forgot: Aldo is 15-0 between the WEC and UFC with nine straight successful title defenses, the last five coming against four opponents (Mendes twice) with a combined 22-2 record in the UFC featherweight division outside of fights with Aldo, with Mendes and McGregor accounting for those two losses.As much as tallying the records of defeated opponents doesn’t paint a perfect picture, it’s a little more indicative of level of competition when you’re talking about the guys the champion has faced and beaten. Simply put, Aldo has faced a tremendous collection of challengers over the last three years and he’s made it through without having any serious “Oh Shit!” moments.Mendes dropped him a couple times in their second fight, but it wasn’t like when Anthony Johnson stuck Daniel Cormier right out of the gate at UFC 187 or Holly Holm started piecing up Ronda Rousey. It never looked like the beginning of something bad and in 18 consecutive contests, the Nova Uniao product has been the one getting his hand raised at the end of the fight.If you need an even more detailed refresher, go and read Shaheen Al-Shatti’s amazing feature for MMA Fighting where he spoke with 11 of the 14 guys about the night they faced the reigning featherweight champion.McGregor has been tremendous – he’s only been the distance once (when he tore his ACL) and he has a very real chance of continuing his run of success next Saturday night at UFC 194 – but just dismissing Aldo and acting like the interim champion is an unbeatable force with all the answer to a puzzle that hasn’t been solved in a decade is foolhardy.

 

Aldo vs McGregor UFC Fight Preview, News: Reigning UFC champion urges fans to bet on him to make money

Reigning UFC featherweight king José Aldo believes he is still the bigger draw between him and interim champion Conor McGregor.In a report by Bloody Elbow, the Brazilian champion actually advised the fans to place their bets on him if they want some "easy money.""Whoever wants to make money, all they have to do is bet on Aldo," he said. "It'll be the easiest money they will ever make in their lives."In another August report by MMA Mania, McGregor actually opened up as the favorite to win the fight over the six-year 145-pound world champion. "The Notorious" was a 2-1 favorite, with Aldo being the +155 underdog.But according to Aldo, it does not matter who the favorite or underdog was, as he even likened his situation to that of female bantamweights Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm. Despite being the underdog, Holm went on to knock Rousey out, to the delight of the minority who placed their bets on her."Just like what happened to Ronda Rousey against Holly Holm. That's not a problem for me," Aldo said. "I don't know who decides who gets to be the favorite. I focus on myself. I know what I can do and what I have to do to win."Aldo adds that even though he has achieved a great amount of success throughout his mixed martial arts career, he continues to put in the same effort he has been since he entered fighting.

"I'm always trying to learn more and to be a good role model for people," he said. "I have to train harder than everyone else. That way I'll never be in a comfort zone. I won't believe I'm better than everyone else."Aldo and McGregor will be unifying the UFC's featherweight belts as they finally meet on December 12th at UFC 194. It is a fight that was originally scheduled for UFC 189 in July, but a rib injury on Aldo forced him out of the contest. It’s  an  fight  It   provides   everyone  talking,  along with   soon after   your current   sooner  clash between  the  rivals,  in which   are  scheduled  to be able to   always be   kept   in  UFC 189,  are  called off,  your  excitement  is  palpable  Equally  Dec. 12 edges ever closer.McGregor  is   at this point  seen  as being a  credible challenger  towards the  Brazilian  soon after  he knocked out Aldo’s replacement, Chad Mendes,  from  UFC 189,  AND   for the  eyes  connected with  many, he’s  your current  favourite coming  directly into   ones  bout. His reach advantage   along with power  can  pose  Problems   towards  night,  although  Aldo  is  rated  Equally Aldo vs Mcgregor Live Fight  your current  pound-for-pound king  with regard to   a great  reason.UFC 189 was the most hyped pay-per-view of the year. Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, who were set to square off in the main event, conducted an exhaustive world tour to promote the event. The two featherweights faced off on multiple occasions, and emotions were high.In a shocking turn of events, Jose Aldo pulled out of the bout at the last minute due to injury, leaving "The Notorious" to take on Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title. The Irishman TKO'd Mendes in the 2nd round and accused Jose of running scared in the post-fight interview.Aldo vs. McGregor was rebooked as a title-unification bout for UFC 194, with both men returning home to prepare for the bout. McGregor, who flew his SBG team and coaches to Las Vegas in preparation for UFC 189, has spent his UFC 194 training camp in Dublin, Ireland. The 27-year-old appeared to be much more relaxed in a recent interview with Severe MMA.When Aldo's name was mentioned, McGregor reacted unemotionally with little regard for the reigning featherweight champion."Hmmmm......we'll see," McGregor said when asked if he thought Aldo would show for UFC 194. "I'll be there. I have made it. I have put myself through an intense training camp. I'm gonna go and enjoy that beach weather, get that Vitamin D and make it to fight night. Who cares if he's there or not, I'll be there. I hope he's there, but I don't know.""Scarface", who suffered a rib injury in sparring prior to UFC 189, has been wearing a protective vest brought in by UFC head Lorenzo Fertitta to help prevent another injury. The Brazilian has promised to hurt McGregor's like he's "never done to anyone before."UFC 194, which also features a middleweight championship tilt between Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold in the co-main event, takes place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 12th McGregor insists he is "prepared to kill" Jose Aldo in their unification bout next month.He told Severe MMA: "I'm prepared to kill this man and unify the belts and then what will they have to say?"What will they have to say after Jose falls? Jose is the No 1 pound-for-pound. We'll see what they have to say after Jose crumbles inside one."'The Notorious' also claimed the fight could come too soon for Aldo after his injury problems. Here are all the latest stories doing the rounds on Jose Aldo v Conor McGregor:
McGregor says he is "prepared to kill" AldoConor McGregor insists he is "prepared to kill" Jose Aldo in their unification bout next month.He told Severe MMA: "I'm prepared to kill this man and unify the belts and then what will they have to say?"What will they have to say after Jose falls? Jose is the No 1 pound-for-pound. We'll see what they have to say after Jose crumbles inside one."'The Notorious' also claimed the fight could come too soon for Aldo after his injury problems.He added: "I said to them [the UFC], 'It's a little too early for Aldo' because [of] his ribs and his body."I just thought he's going to rush into camp again and it could hamper it and he could pull out again."But we're getting close now. All signs point that he will show up. I hope he does."Aldo believes he is 'way better prepared' for the fight this time around than he was ahead of the cancelled bout in July.The Brazilian pulled out of the UFC 189 fight with an injury but claims he is ready to go for December 12.He told VICE: "The first time there was a heavier environment, but not anymore. We're more focused, and I can say I'm way better prepared than the first time."We had enough time the last time, but it's something new because he's left handed, but not anymore."We're well trained, I was already adapted from the first camp we did with him, and we also know how to deal with his trash talk. It's way easier now."  UFC 194 features the highly anticipated matchup between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor as they will battle for the featherweight crown. They aren’t the only title bout on the card, as Luke Rockhold gets his shot at Chris Weidman in an attempt to become the middleweight champion.The promotion features a clear look at both champion and challenger as Aldo and McGregor take center stage in the video package. The video titled “One King” features McGregor doing all the talking about the law of the jungle where a young king comes and kills the old king as images of Aldo flash across the screen. The package also shows many of McGregor’s antics that led up to their cancelled bout at UFC 189.Up and down, this is the best card of the year as the main portion features seven fighters that are ranked in the top five of their respective weight classes.Ronaldo Souza will finally battle Yoel Romero to cement their place as the top middleweight contender. Max Holloway continues to push his way towards featherweight contention and has to get through Jeremy Stephens to not lose any momentum. UFC UFC.com UFC on Twitter UFC on Facebook Order UFC Fights Online New Conor McGregor-Jose Aldo UFC 194 Promo Sums Things Up Perfectly (Video) by Pat Bradley on Mon, Nov 16, 2015 at 7:02PM 283 Share this: The storylines outside the octagon leading into UFC 194 are almost bigger than the fight itself. UFC played on that hype in its newest promo for the Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo title fight scheduled for Dec. 12 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The song in the background is Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church In The Wild,” but the selected lyrics tell the story: “What’s a mob to a king? What’s a king to a god? What’s a god to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything?” McGregor and Aldo, of course, boast egos the size of North America and would each argue that they’re the king or god on any respective day. Ultimately, the featherweight title up for grabs is the only one that matters, and this commercial has us even more excited for the bout than before.