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Bloody Elbow

UFC 142: Jose Aldo Is The New GSP, And That's Not A Good Thing

by Fraser Coffeen on in UFC Editorial

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JANUARY 11: Jose Aldo works out for the media and fans during the UFC 142 Open Workouts at Barra de Tijuca Beach on January 11, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JANUARY 11: Jose Aldo works out for the media and fans during the UFC 142 Open Workouts at Barra de Tijuca Beach on January 11, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Boring.

If after watching Jose Aldo storm through the WEC Featherweight division three years ago, with spectacular knockout after spectacular knockout, you had told me that his fights could be boring, I would have laughed at you. But when rewatching Aldo vs. Urijah Faber for a Judo Chop earlier this week, the dreaded B word came up. And it was spoken by no less than Joe Rogan, who described the end of the fight as boring. And, to be fair, he was right.

Now, we are heading into Aldo's 5th defense of the Featherweight title (or, I guess, 3rd if you insist on only recognizing the UFC fights, but why would you do that?). And I am getting a little nervous. Not that Aldo will lose (though he might), not even that the fight will go the distance (it probably will). No, I am getting nervous that perhaps the whirlwind of destruction version of Aldo was left behind in the WEC, replaced by the new cautious model.

In short, I am nervous that Jose Aldo is becoming a new Georges St. Pierre.

Many fighters would dream of becoming GSP, and rightfully so. He's one of the best in the world, and one of the two truly long-standing dominant champions in the sport. But he's also become boring in recent years, at least in the eyes of many fans. This is not news to anyone who follows the sport. But maybe it is news that Aldo is heading down that same path. And he definitely is.

Consider the statistics: in Aldo's run to the belt, which I consider all of his WEC fights up to and including the title win over Mike Brown, Aldo had a spectacular 100% finishing ratio, closing the show against 6 out of 6 opponents. His ratio since then? 25%, with just 1 finish in the 4 fights since winning the belt. That's a significant drop.

There are possible reasons for this; in particular, perhaps it's the inevitablity of becoming champion. As you face tougher competition, it becomes harder to finish. Fair argument, but if so, we should see a similar drop in finishes from other champions, and we don't. Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz have low finishing ratios in title defenses (33% and none respectively), but they both had low ratios heading in as well (25% and 20%). Anderson Silva and Jon Jones finished a lot of people before winning the belt and, despite Silva's weird Cote/Leites/Maia run, finish a lot of people after (80% for Silva, 100% for Jones). Only one man has seen his finishing ratio drop like Aldo's since winning the belt, and it's no surprise who that is. GSP went from stopping 5 of 8 opponents before winning his current belt (63%) to just 1 of 6 since (17%).

So is the same thing happening to Aldo? Is he becoming a new Georges St. Pierre? In a word, yes. There's no question of "will this happen to Aldo" - it's happened. The question now is, "can he turn this trend around?" Can he become the dynamic fighter he was in the WEC - the man that casual UFC fans have never even had a chance to see?

Maybe. Maybe a move up to 155 where he will be less depleted will help. Maybe a title loss will light a fire under him (though it certainly had the opposite impact on St. Pierre). But Saturday night against Mendes? I don't think so. For this fight, I expect the full 25 minutes. And if at the end Aldo's hand is raised, I expect to see a lot of frustrated fans making the St. Pierre comparison next week.

Maybe Aldo will prove me wrong. As a fan, I certainly hope he does. But I am a realist. And I worry.

0 recs  |  164 comments

Comments

Could it be that his opponents are getting better?

Cub Swanson is not on the same level as Kenny Florian.

Schwizzles - January 13, 2012 reply

It’s not just what he “doesn’t do” though, it’s that he doesn’t even try the things he used to.

Machiel Van - January 13, 2012 reply

i remember him throwing a flying knee at Florian and dropping Hominick twice

Kevin Jennison J. Zametov-St Pierre - January 13, 2012 reply

Is Aldo being boring a concern? Yeah

Not really sure why you are calling that the “new GSP” though.

Stiff Jab - January 13, 2012 reply

Because at one point and time GSP was exciting to watch and now he isn’t. Aldo is heading the same route.

Meek Mill - January 13, 2012 reply

It’s very similar to what happened with GSP, but even more pronounced because Aldo hasn’t had that “wake-up” loss.

Machiel Van - January 13, 2012 reply

As long as the other guys keep coming away looking like rotted fruit I wouldn't worry too much

Don’t count that Florian fight against him as Kenny made BJ look boring too.

menckenstein - January 13, 2012 reply

. . . and let’s not mention that Florian finishes fights. He doesn’t get finished (often).

VeeisAnimated - January 13, 2012 reply

But Penn finished Florian, and if Aldo really is the pound for pound top 5 kind of guy, shouldn’t he have been able to do so as well?

Fraser Coffeen - January 13, 2012 reply

Really? REALLY?

Just because its a decision doesn’t mean its automatically a boring fight. Did you SEE the Hominick fight? It was awesome!

The Florian fight was a bit lackluster (Florian tends to stink up title fights), but the Faber fight I enjoyed thoroughly (though ever time Aldo landed a kick it made me cringe).

You want to compare some statistics? Check the number of significant strikes GSP has landed in his last few fights vs. Aldo. Then talk about boring.

EvilScott - January 13, 2012 reply

Maybe a title loss will light a fire under him (though it certainly had the opposite impact on St. Pierre).

I don’t agree with that, really. GSP finished 3 of his 5 next opponents, and I don’t think it’s his fault he didn’t finish Fitch. He did everything in his power to hurt that guy. It’s only after the last bout with BJ that he’s seemed overly cautious.

Zachary Kater - January 13, 2012 reply

Nah, not at all. I respect your opinion.

Let’s examine his last opponents:

  • Kenny Florian doesn’t get finished often
  • Yeah Hominick was recently stopped but he was really, really careless. He’s been stopped often but maybe there was a stylistic problem for Aldo. Maybe there was that issue with the illness he suffered? Bad weight cut?
  • Urijah Faber. He doesn’t get stopped often if at all. Yeah, he loss to Mike Thomas Brown but showed that he’s a better fighter in the rematch fighting with a broken hand.

VeeisAnimated - January 13, 2012 reply

Let's not forget that the fact that Mendes has never been stopped in his career.

VeeisAnimated - January 13, 2012 reply

forget finished he never lost

benten20 - January 13, 2012 via mobile reply

Those sound like excuses we always hear for GSP fights… Koscheck doesn’t get finished often. Hardy was really careless against Condit. etc.etc.

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

Fair enough Shnak, I really don’t have a counter.

I just think Aldo is still that dude. His style of fighting is not boring. He’s not getting the finishes. Oh well.

VeeisAnimated - January 13, 2012 reply

This

“His style of fighting is not boring.” His style isn’t boring at all. Even on the defense end against Mark he stayed in the pocket looking comfortable as shit and slipped a lot Mark’s punches. Along with that, he’ll occasionally land one of his sick punch/leg kick combos (Mark) or throw out a flying knee that’ll land (Florian). With that said, he does seem to be pacing himself and not going as hard as he could to finish the fight lately.

SentientAndroid - January 13, 2012 reply

Aldo had mercy on Faber

And I have no idea why

Cunny - January 13, 2012 reply

We need some REAL MMA News

SO we dont have BS like this…Aldo is not the new GSP, so quit wit the nonsense

Spike Lee - January 13, 2012 reply

But he’s starting to be… his performances against Hominick and Florian were just as boring as GSP’s against Koscheck and Shields… the only thing memorable from Hominick’s fight was the bump on his head, and how gassed Aldo was in the 5th round. I don’t remember a single thing from Florian’s fight.

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

that hominick fight was awesome! whats wrong with you

benten20 - January 13, 2012 via mobile reply

Scarface still puts on exciting fights he just spoiled us in the wec when he just ran through everyone violently

biggant - January 13, 2012 via mobile reply

It simply comes down to business and money

As a champion, you demand a higher pay and can attract more sponsors. The ‘exciting’ fights are more entertaining, but a risky gameplan can result in a loss, which can result in a huge hit to the wallet.

GSP and Silva have all had stretches of safe, boring fights. Jones is just too much better than anyone in his division to play safe. Edgar’s fights with BJ were wonderfully technical, but void of tons of excitement. Only Maynard really opened him up.

aptar - January 13, 2012 reply

silva doesnt play it safe

He had a stretch of decisions/odd fights. Leites refused to engage him, the cote fight I actually enjoyed and Maia….well no one knows what the hell that was. Aside from that he’s completely dominated the division(aside from sonnen and I give silva the rematch by 2nd round KO/TKO

benten20 - January 13, 2012 via mobile reply

Not going to the ground with Leites and Maia

is pretty much the definition of playing it safe. Not much different than what GSP does, taking his fight to his opponent’s weakness.

He’s on a good, exciting stretch now, for sure, though.

aptar - January 13, 2012 reply

NFL

Reminds of that in the sense that players who get a big long term contract all of a sudden perform poorly. Example: Marion Barber. Before he got his money, he was a beast on the field and as soon as they gave him the $, he is 80% of the player he once was. I think it’s similar with Aldo, when he was in the WEC, he was an absolute beast. After he won the belt, he has gone major conservative and it’s shown.

evenflow10 - January 13, 2012 reply

The difference is that in football, players get paid based on past performance. And you never know when a player is going to fall off the shelf.

If Aldo all of a sudden was a much worse fighter, we’d know — he would lose.

fbihop - January 13, 2012 reply

I hate, hate, HATE

writing that extrapolates trends from small sample sizes. It’s complete guess work and poor in general.

Cory Braiterman - January 13, 2012 reply

Nah, landing so many kicks that a fighter has to be carried to his corner six feet away between rounds is about the opposite of boring to me.

Citing Rogan’s opinion on anything these days is troubling.

BVandDietPepsi - January 13, 2012 reply

Eh, you're using statistics without providing context

Based on their preferred fighting styles alone you are wrong.

GSP isn’t criticized simply for not being able to finish his opponents, he is criticized for game planning in a way that precludes it.

ruckus - January 13, 2012 reply

I must admit

I have been decidedly underwhelmed by Aldo’s two performances in the UFC. But the boring part is way off. Kenny always comes up with weird game plans for title fights and they usually end up being shit.

But that Hominick fight was a tonne of fun.

Oh, and Aldo is going to wreck Mendes.

WanderChe - January 13, 2012 via mobile reply

While this article is obviously written in a way as to stir up emotions and discussion, I actually agree with Fraser. I’ve been thinking about this since the Faber fight, where he never really went after the finish. It has since compounded with the recent Hominick and Florian fights, which didn’t impress me at all. The Aldo we saw blitz through the WEC in a whirlwind of violence seems to be all but gone, he is very obviously now content with winning decisions and fighting smart instead of getting finishes or being exciting. Thus the comparison to GSP is very apt IMHO.

There is still hope that maybe Aldo can turn things around and fight with more fire in future fights, but as it is now I’m not very excited to see him fight. I’ve seen a definite shift in his hunger and fighting style since winning the belt, and it’s not for the better.

Horselover Fat - January 13, 2012 reply

Frasen’s numbers definitely tells an interesting story.

I just like Aldo’s striking style so I may be biased. Wait, I am. The more I think about this article, I must admit Frasen makes a great argument. So do you. What I think this article is missing, is the maturation process for Jose Aldo. You’re the only person that used the “S” word. Yes, Aldo is fighting smart. He’s thinking more along the lines of “What if I don’t finish this opponent immediately. How will I perform in the later rounds?” It is apparent that his coach Dede’s gameplan is making Aldo an all-around better fighter.

VeeisAnimated - January 13, 2012 reply

Oh for sure. And in a way I can’t really fault him for being smarter about it, it’s his career and his belt on the line every time he goes out there now. It’s just that for my own selfish view as a fan, he’s not as fun to watch any more, and that disappoints me. I became a fan during WEC but now I’ve grown almost indifferent towards him. I guess I feel like he’s not fighting up to his full potential, you could say. He’s still interesting to watch just because he is the best in the world at 145, and has incredibly well rounded skills, but again that pure excitement is sort of lacking for me nowadays. I’m fully expecting him to decision Mendes in another somewhat lackluster performance.

I understand I come off as a real fickle and whiny MMA fan in what I’ve written here, but it’s my honest opinion about the situation.

Horselover Fat - January 13, 2012 reply

Why you gotta call me Frasen? And twice? I thought we were cool… :)

Smart is a good work for it, and it’s a good word for the way GSP fights too. I think the danger just becomes that smart bleeds into cautious, which bleeds into tentative, which bleeds into boring. That said, is he a BETTER fighter? Yes. So is GSP. And for what it’s worth, I still enjoy his fights for now – but I do get worries for the future.

And here’s another point I’ll offer in counter of my own argument. I think he’s not just fighting “safe”, I think he’s also consciously being respectful. Against both Faber and Hominick for sure he switched off in round 5, knowing that he was way ahead on points, and allowed each man to ride out the decision without absorbing more punishment. Both times it struck me as coming from a place of respect for your opponent, which I appreciate quite a bit.

Fraser Coffeen - January 13, 2012 reply

Against Hominick he (Aldo) was on an empty gas tank the second half of the fight. In R5 he tried a guillotine and accepted playing bottom position when Hominick escaped. His weight cut was very bad, some videos surfaced months after and he looked like shit trying to lose the extra pounds.
When GSP commits to his punches, knees and kicks like Aldo does, by all means, call him the “new GSP”. GSP has never been close of a clean KO in the alst 3 years, nor has he even tried it. Aldo has been unfortonate (Faber, Hominick), stellar (Manny) or has been facing people who don’t want anything with fighting (Florian), just stalling and eventually elbowing his way to a doctor stoppage. That’s not his fault…

juziel - January 13, 2012 reply

GSP isnt a power puncher; bad comparison

Kevin Jennison J. Zametov-St Pierre - January 13, 2012 reply

Tell that to Koscheck, Fitch and Alves’s faces.

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

Aldo is a power puncher. Guys just won’t want any of his punches. And they stall. They try to glue him to the cage, they try to make it a wrestling match. He perseveres, althoug it’s impossible to make it a kickboxing match and more pleasable to fans. And it’s Aldo’s fault?

Qhose fault is it in GSP’s fights that things get “boring”? In GSP’s case, it’s always GSP slowing the pace, grinding decisions, LNP guys.

Until Aldo wins ONE SINGLE FIGHT like that, don’t you call him “the new GSP”. He simply hasn’t done anything to deserve the “accolade”…

juziel - January 13, 2012 reply

my only question is has any one forgotten that jose ko’d gamburyan like between beating up hominick and k-flo im just saying. this has been the most ridiculous argument since the whole gsp exposed and he’s boring thing.and see this is why i dont like fighters like chael or nick diaz because all the guys who arent talking but doing a amazing job gets called boring or never gets the respect it deserve. fickle mma fans for ya

Mac Marley - January 13, 2012 reply

Aldo is a beast, and is in no way boring. I think his opponents and their styles are partially to blame, as well as just not being used to the ufc spotlight yet. But this fight is in Brazil man, which makes me think Mendes is gonna take a beating. I will be amazed if this goes the distance.

fatsamurai - January 13, 2012 reply

Umm..well everyone else pretty much stole my thunder so let me just wrap it up in one sentence: Opponents are getting better which makes them more difficult to defeat.

Krimson - January 13, 2012 reply

Not just better, smarter too. Title-challengers, for the most part, get in there with the idea to not look too bad and fight very cautiously and take little risks. Look at Hardy against GSP. He was elated after the fight that he wasn’t finished. Same as Hominick, he was just happy he hung in there and was able to make it to the end. That’s what happens most of the time.

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

But then why haven’t Jones and Silva seen a similar drop in their ability to finish?

Fraser Coffeen - January 13, 2012 reply

Do the names Thales Leites and Damien Maia ring a bell?

Does Overeem vs Werdum tell you anything at all? (And I love Werdum…)

juziel - January 13, 2012 reply

Jones is an utterly freakish athlete the likes of which has never been seen in MMA. Anderson is Anderson, and before the Sonnen fight everyone was down on him as well. Aldo put one of the most epic beatings in history on Faber (he fractured his leg, for crying out loud), KO’d Gamburyan, had a fight of the night against Hominick, and took home a comfortable decision against a Florian who had no interest in engaging. Where’s the boring here?

Patrick Wyman - January 13, 2012 reply

That “fight of the Night” says it all. When was the last time GSP was in one of those?

juziel - January 13, 2012 reply

UFC 124

thirdparty - January 13, 2012 reply

That was an awful, awful card.

Patrick Wyman - January 13, 2012 reply

not true

McCorkle got tko’d

Danzig KO’d Joe Daddy

Jim Miller kneebarred Aloe Vera

and Alves & Howard had a good back n forth fight

Kevin Jennison J. Zametov-St Pierre - January 13, 2012 reply

that whole card was bananas

The main event was a stinker tho

The Lethal Haze - January 13, 2012 reply

Alves v Howard was not back and forth

Alves put on a clinic

But it was entertaining

Cunny - January 13, 2012 reply

Also didn't canadians vote for that?

Or was that the shield fight?

cager - January 13, 2012 reply

Yeah, that was the only one where they tried fan voting.

Patrick Wyman - January 13, 2012 reply

Well no wonder GSP won. I enjoyed the fight though, personally. Just wish he’d gone for the finish.

thirdparty - January 13, 2012 reply

Silva has been facing crap competition, well mostly. And besides, both Jones and Anderson are incredible fighters that are the exception, and not the rule. Fighters that can make legit opposition look like amateurs doesn’t happen often. GSP isn’t quite there, and Aldo also isn’t quite there. JDS might be there, we’ll see how he handles Overeem.

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

Fighting Smart

I think this is why once somebody becomes a champion they tend to finish people less often then they did on their way to the title. They have to plan for an extra 10 minutes of fighting and pace themselves so they don’t gas out after the third and drop 2 rounds.

I’m probably going to take some flack for this but I don’t think it’s the champion’s responsibility to do anything less than defend the title. I would like them to do more and finish the other fighter. The challenger needs to bring the fight and step up in order to beat the champ and take the title from them. If you want the title you need to prove yourself against the champ, go for it and lay it all on the line.

soilworker - January 13, 2012 reply

God damn it, Fraser Coffeen, I condemn you to life of watching GSP jab-a-ton… It takes two to tango, Aldo couldn’t finish Hominick, although he OWNED the north-american kickboxing kingpin (who went all Melvin guillard on Lauzon and payed for it) and did what he could against Florian, who wanted nothing of that striking thing… he has been putting his work in, fight after fight, but when you have guys like florian and I suspect Mendes as well trying to stall to death and make it look like they are dominating, is it Aldo’s fault his fights are less spectacular?
He crushed Faber’s legs with kicks so he would lose takedown eficiency. Did you see Faber try anything else? Did you see him strike?
The day Aldo wins a fight humping his opponents legs, I’ll say you’re right. Until then, you should go to Lourdes, Fátima or Guadalupe in search for redemption…

juziel - January 13, 2012 reply

And you don’t think GSP would also benefit from facing guys with aggressive game plans against him. If you use the “it takes two to tango” reason to excuse Aldo’s performances in the UFC, that same reason applies to GSP. If anything, it applies to GSP even more since it’s an established division with tons of great fighters whereas FW only has 4-5 top guys…

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

Hardy and Thiago Alves can “tango”.

“GSP would also benefit from facing guys with aggressive game plans against him.”
Laugh of the year… when do you think GSP will ever fight “aggressive”? Hum?

Aldo’s problem is Florian fought like he was GSP, no risk, no aggression, nothing…

juziel - January 13, 2012 reply

When’s the last time someone had an aggressive gameplan against GSP?

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

When Diaz was training to fight him.

thirdparty - January 13, 2012 reply

Yes, same with Condit… that’s why these two guys are awesome opponents for GSP… they’ll be in his face, no doubt about it, putting pressure on him. But of those that have actually faced GSP, who came in with an aggressive gameplan and executed it? I can’t recall, honestly. Everyone just wants to get in there and survive and not look too bad. Hard to finish guys when they never engage.

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

I hate that I have to go to work and cant give this a proper rebuttal.

Tim Bernier - January 13, 2012 via mobile reply

Am I the only guy that thinks this is injury related?

I mean come on! The guy seriously screws up his back and then he struggles to finish guys. This isn’t some sort of conservative mind set, it’s a guy struggling with an injury that forces him to be less dynamic.

rask4p - January 13, 2012 reply

Dude?

Low finishing ratio =/= boring fighter.

Hominick-Aldo was one of my favourite fights this year, and the Florian fight gets a bum rap because it went before an absoloutely amazing end to a great trilogy. I thought it was very impressive to see Aldo shut down the grappling of a 2nd degree black belt like that, and i enjoyed the fight.

To be honest i could watch Aldo move his head away from punches and not counter once for 25 minutes. The man brings it real.

Magaca - January 13, 2012 reply

Just wait until all fighters become Tyrone woodley as it is the most effective way to win

terzergoss - January 13, 2012 reply

That will never happen

Lay n pray guys dont become champs. GSP kinda went that route after becoming a champ, but he won his last 2 fights on the feet, just didnt get the KO

JonBon Joey - January 13, 2012 reply

Yeah, it’s like everything else, it cancels out at some point. e.g. Jon Fitch vs Johnny Hendricks? Koscheck/GSP? Cain/Brawk?

thirdparty - January 15, 2012 reply

Can't wait for the counterpoint article.

I will be on the look out for that today. As I think this article is completely absurd every argument against it has been summed up pretty well so I will just say this. Do you really think Aldo can’t and wont finish Mendes in fucking BRAZIL non the less c’mon man!

nickrodamous - January 13, 2012 reply

Mendes wont get finished

As a matter of fact after he wins the belt HE will become the new gsp, not Aldo. Alot of 5 rd dominate/boring decisions

JonBon Joey - January 13, 2012 reply

Ok

how much did you put on Mendes then? lets see it you sound pretty confident in your pick.

nickrodamous - January 13, 2012 reply

I have no money on chad (no pun intended)

accept for maybe a friendly wager i might worl up with a buddy. Anyway Ive just always saw something in the dude in the wec & i used to think man if team Alpha male can get this dude any sort of stand up he will become a champ. Starting in the Vasquez fight & into the omigawa fight his footwork & hand speed reminded alot of Edagr when he turned the corner in the Sherk fight. Combine that with the fact that Aldo hasnt been overly impressive against hominick who was just layed out by KZ, or against K-flo who had a really close call against nunes(no offense to nunes).

JonBon Joey - January 13, 2012 reply

I think Aldo wins, but if Mendes wins, you are right, those will be some seriously dull title fights.

Fraser Coffeen - January 13, 2012 reply

Mendes looked great against Omigawa

bit of a stinker against Yahya but it makes sense since he broke his hand in that fight

Kevin Jennison J. Zametov-St Pierre - January 13, 2012 reply

I prefer for these types of pieces to be written in the wake of fights, not in the build up

Maybe that’s just me.

But if Aldo tools Mendes in a round, or by some miracle loses…then this kind of ‘Is Aldo becoming boring in victory?’ question will be kind of shot down.

But if the waiting game had been played for another 1-2 days…then you would be able to see what Aldo’s most recent fight went like…and it could be determined if the article was necessary or not.

If he had gone to a decision…then thats 3 in a row, 4 of his last five…it’s probably worth talking about. If there was a good finish or an Aldo defeat…the article wouldn’t have been as relevant and thus not worth posting to begin with.

Instead an ‘Aldo returns to destructive form’ type of angle could have been approached. Or a ‘Was Aldo’s decision loss to Mendes a result of fading killer instinct?’ type of thing could have been done.

Chris Groves - January 13, 2012 reply

If a fight going the distance is considered boring, try 2am outside a night club, those fights rarely go more than 1 minute.

GSP takes too much flak considering he is 1 man in a 2 person fight. As long as his opponents keep fighting him defensively not much is likely to change. But I would rather see mma the sporting competition unfold as it will, than see an old “tough man competition”.
Aldo is starting to be seen as invincable , like George, in his division so there is a fair chance guys will start fighting him to survive rather than fighting to win.
Winning spawns hate, its the unfortunate nature of sports.

AriesKJJ - January 13, 2012 reply

Or maybe its because he is starting to make a lot of money and dosen't want to lose it?

Thats why we pay these people to much I WANT BLOOD RAWR FACE THE PAIN

MaZZacare - January 13, 2012 reply

Very thought-provoking

Excellent read.

Skyscraperfan - January 13, 2012 reply

1.GSP was never as exciting as Aldo was in his previous fights
2. GSP will never again be as exciting as Aldo is now
3. Even Aldo’s “boring” fights have more drama than GSP’s recent outings.
4. wtf

Hendo_One-Shot - January 13, 2012 reply

1. That is just ridiculous. GSP was just as exciting up until his loss to Matt Serra. He had nothing but outstanding performances up until that point.

Shnak - January 13, 2012 reply

It's a troll article, not a fan of that.

Rampage01 - January 13, 2012 reply

Damn Fraser

To me, the biggest hole in your argument is the one you didn’t address: were the fights themselves boring? I’m afraid I have to be “that guy” and say that if you couldn’t appreciate Aldo’s performance against Florian, then simply get the fuck out of here (not you specifically Fraser).

It was an absolutely masterful performance. I was frankly shocked that he was able to cut through Florian’s guard: a fighter who is known for a stellar ground game. On the feet, he was magic. So many fighters who bitch about having shitty wrestling because they lose to wrestling can learn so many things from watching Aldo’s lateral movement. Kenny has a phenomenal chin, which is the only reason he was still standing after taking monster right hands.

The performance itself have been lacking, but his fight with Hominick was exciting, and there was nothing wrong with his fight against Faber IMO. I was a bit cautious, but Faber gutted out those leg kicks (and the kick that landed directly on his chin). Plus it was another performance where we got to see glimpses of Aldo’s terrific ground game.

David Castillo - January 13, 2012 reply

I think that as soon as after the Mendes fight, regardless of a win or loss, he should move to 155. He looks like he’s going to die in his weight cut video, and I think that if he had to cut less weight, he’d be back to the crusher he was at 145. In fact, even though he hasn’t come as close to Aldo at cleaning the division, I’d love to see Aldo and Edgar switch weight classes after their next fights. I’d absolutely love to see Aldo’s MT vs. the Diaz boxing, Edgar vs. KZ, etc.

T.C. Engel - January 13, 2012 reply

I very rarely (by which I mean never) complain or criticize an article on this site, but honestly how did this garbage even make it to the front page? It seems as if you either: A) Don’t know much about the sport of MMA, B) Are looking to incite some heated discussion by deliberately making ignorant statements, or C) Haven’t actually seen any of the fights you’ve mentioned.

I can see the argument being made that some of GSP’s latest fights have been a tad lackluster (I wouldn’t go as far as to call them boring), but Aldo is an incredible fighter to watch and the fact that you find him boring is very perplexing to me. Maybe his latest bouts haven’t been balls-to-the-walls slugfests, but do they really need to be to be considered entertaining? I would say no, and I’m sure the majority of people who actually love and appreciate this sport would agree.

I would honestly love to hear what fighters you don’t find boring, and which others you do.

Hendar - January 13, 2012 reply

Come now. Because someone has a different opinion of you that means they are a) stupid, b) trolling, or c) making things up? Don’t be silly. We can see things differently you know – we’re not robots.

I have found his last few fights to end on a slightly anticlimactic note, and for the finishes to be a bit boring. That’s not a disaster, but I do hope he starts to finish fights again. Is that so awful to say? My apologies if that did not come through (and clearly, it didn’t, so that’s a sincere apology) but that is my point.

I find a shockingly few number of fighters boring. GSP is one. And, uh… Tim Sylvia? My hometown love of Fitch won’t allow me to put him in this group. Can’t really think of any others that leap to my mind.

Fraser Coffeen - January 13, 2012 reply

Still find Aldo boring? I sure hope not.

And I wasn’t trying to attack you but it just seemed like this whole article was a bit inflammatory. I guess we can just be thankful Jose put on the performance he did and we won’t have to hear things like this anymore. I can respect that you found the bouts a bit anticlimactic (especially the Hominick fight since he made a rush for it in the 5th round) but boring to me means that there wasn’t much, if any, excitement during the bout, which is not even close to accurate in regard to any of Aldo’s fights. Ever.

and really? Tim Sylvia, Aldo, and GSP are the fighters you find boring? That seems a bit much, timmah i can agree with due to the jab, jab, jab, circle, jab, jab, jab gameplans but you should really re-watch those aldo fights you criticized and think about what the word “boring” actually means.

There’s a reason this article has 0 Recs…(that probably comes off as hating but it’s not meant that way in the slightest).

and for the record I agree with you on Fitch I don’t find him boring at all, he does what he does and he does it very well. I would go as far as saying clay guida is more boring than fitch for the pure reason that when he’s on top landing those weak shoulder strikes I know the fight is nowhere even close being finished and most likely never will be.

But great night of fights I hope everyone enjoyed them! I went almost perfect for picks with just Funch and Omigawa ruining it for me :( but I still love me some Omigawa what a show of heart!

Hendar - January 15, 2012 reply

The author’s use of the word “boring” as “not interesting” is clearly proper notwithstanding your invitation to think about what it means. It’s a subjective word; there is no deeper, objective standard as to what is or is not “boring.” Sorry.

ccanedy - January 15, 2012 reply

Come on son… We all know Penn could fought that 5th round and lost a decision.

GSP IS 0/6 IN FINISHING HES THE NEW JON FITCH, JUST WAIT FOR HIS JOHNNY HENDRICKS COMEUPPANCE

… aldo aint boring he TRIES to finish

yellopanda - January 14, 2012 reply

Yeah thats right GSP is has only finished 1 fight during his second run as champ o wait didn’t he get TKO’d and change his entire style of fighting so he doesn’t get KO’d no more? so does that mean Aldo has changed his entire style fight style….nope. Don’t see how I’d make a GSP comparison other than WINNING

ninjauw - January 14, 2012 reply

Boy, were you wrong.

EvilScott - January 16, 2012 reply

Horrible

I actually signed up for Bloody Elbow when this article came out, but it wouldn’t allow me to comment at that time. There’s no sense in saying how wrong you were because that would sound revisionist.

Having said that, I was blown away that anyone could think Jose Aldo was boring—completely blown away. I only want to make two points:

Everyone is quick to point to Aldo’s performance in the Hominick fight. Most fail to mention that he was 1) coming off knee surgery and 2) was explosive, dynamic and elusive, dominating the first three rounds, prior to fading late in the fight. Knee surgery is a big deal in combat sports. Now you know.

Also, penalizing lower weight classes for failure to finish is ridiculous. Lower weight classes finish less frequently, especially by KO/TKO. Now you know.

Alanhull1 - February 1, 2012 reply

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