Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo shared his prediction for the rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.
McGregor and Holloway meet on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 329, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is an absolutely massive event for the UFC, one that is expected to break the promotion’s all-time gate record with $25 million in ticket sales as fight fans are eager to witness McGregor’s comeback after five long years away from the cage.
This is a rematch 13 years in the making, as the two previously met in August 2013, with McGregor winning a decision over Holloway that night.
Aldo has fought both men before, making him the perfect fighter to ask how this rematch will go between the two rivals.
In 2015, McGregor needed just 13 seconds to knock Aldo out at UFC 194. Then, in 2017, Holloway beat Aldo via TKO twice, at UFC 212 and again at UFC 218.
Jose Aldo Shares Prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2
Speaking to Covers.com, Aldo shared his prediction for McGregor vs. Holloway 2.
“The favourite is Max Holloway. Not because he’s vastly superior, but because he’s still active. He’s fighting regularly, coming off strong performances and staying in competition mode. Conor is an unknown quantity. We haven’t seen him fight in a very long time. We don’t know where his conditioning, timing or confidence are at. That’s why I put Max one step ahead,” Aldo said.
“That doesn’t mean Conor can’t go in there and knock him out. That can absolutely happen. And it wouldn’t be any disgrace for Max because Conor is still a world-class striker, with experience, power and the technical tools to win any fight. So I have Max slightly ahead, but I’m a long way from saying Conor has no chance. The biggest question right now is simply which version of McGregor is going to show up on fight night.”
Jose Aldo Talks About His Previous Fights With Conor McGregor & Max Holloway
In addition to giving his prediction for Saturday’s fight at UFC 329 between McGregor and Holloway, Aldo also shared his thoughts on his own previous encounters with both of these men inside the Octagon, as he fought both of these men.
“Against Conor, I didn’t get much time in there. The fight ended far too quickly. I didn’t really get the chance to feel everything he brings to the table. With Max, though, I spent much more time inside the Octagon with him. He’s an extremely intelligent fighter, with very refined boxing, great fight IQ and an excellent ability to absorb shots. Today he’s not exactly the same fighter he was years ago because he’s been through a lot of wars during his career. But he’s still an exceptional fighter,” Aldo said,
“Honestly, I don’t even like talking about weaknesses when we’re discussing two fighters of this level. One became champion in two divisions, and the other built a legendary career at featherweight and still went on to have great fights at lightweight.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Jose Aldo Predicts Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2 appeared first on HEAVY.