After last weekend’s stand out win against Denis Siver, it is just a matter of time before the UFC announces Conor McGregor versus Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title. The early lines have Aldo coming in as a (-165) favorite, with the comeback on McGregor at (+135).
The line is already quite close, but does come with the caveat that the line is for a neutral site in the United States. The fight is expected to be held on Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas, though McGregor has long talked about fighting in a soccer stadium at home in Ireland. Presumably, Aldo could also demand the champion’s privilege to get the fight in Brazil. However, considering the assumption that this fight is destined to be held in Las Vegas, it is scary how much respect McGregor is already getting from oddsmakers with the close line.
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McGregor did his job against Siver, taking him out in a fight he controlled from beginning to end. His only two losses have both been 30-second fights where he has been grounded and submitted. Aldo has been a dominant champion who is on an unprecedented run, winning 18 fights in a row against the best competition in the world. The interesting part here is that in his 25 career wins, Aldo has just two submissions.
Aldo is an excellent striker who has 14 TKOs and is fond of using his fists, knees and punches very effectively. It will be interesting to see what Aldo does in this fight, because if McGregor were matched against a wrestler based fighter like Chad Mendes or Frankie Edgar, he would be grounded and likely exposed and finished. But if Aldo fights with his usual approach, he is going to give McGregor a good chance of keeping the fight away from the ground, where the Irish contender prefers to be.
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McGregor is long and lanky, a body type Aldo has not faced since Kenny Florian four years ago, and his striking is also unorthodox. If Aldo lets the 26-year-old stay on his feet, he is opening the window for McGregor to steal his title. If Aldo is not careful, he will looking for a rematch to get his belt back, and there is no doubt he would have to go to Ireland to do that.
