Could there have been a fight more in the pressure cooker as this one? José Aldo was a Featherweight king for over a decade until he got caught by the sniper left of a loud-mouth Irish dude. Frankie Edgar racked up a ridiculous record trying to chase down aforementioned dude, only to get denied at every turn. …Something about a Diaz. Yet, on the second fight of the mega UFC 200 card, we finally get it settled.
A goatee-sporting Aldo started with the patented look at the ground and then the feeling out period begin look like a mirror image of the first fight. Aldo waited until the very end of the first before turning it up.
Aldo tags Edgar to end the round! #UFC200 https://t.co/xsapAZwMrK
— #UFC200 (@ufc) July 10, 2016
Through the following rounds, a back-and-forth war continued with both guys landed, Edgar bleeding like he always does and even Aldo getting punched where his head does that slow motion wiggle thing like when McGregor did it, only McGregor knocked him out.
.@josealdojunior connects with a right! 👊 #UFC200 pic.twitter.com/WTT0N5H4IL
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) July 10, 2016
ON. THE. BUTTON. #UFC200 pic.twitter.com/A3QNErkK2M
— #UFC200 (@ufc) July 10, 2016
Aldo always did a little more though and had an answer at every turn. He seemed renewed, not the buzzsaw from the past but cautious and more precise. At the end, Aldo won the decision and walked over to the cage to tell Conor McGregor, “you’re next”.
Aldo v.s. McGregor 2 for the title unification at UFC MSG?
#AndNew interim FTW champion of the world @JoseAldoJunior! #UFC200 pic.twitter.com/xXJ7UYfaS7
— #UFC200 (@ufc) July 10, 2016
