Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
There's a very strange desire in the MMA fanbase for UFC champions to jump around in weight as soon as they have defended their title a few times. That noise is popping up again now that Jose Aldo destroyed Chad Mendes in their UFC 142 featherweight title fight. His trainer, Andre Pederneiras, told Sherdog that it's not likely to happen:
"If it depends on me, it won't happen. Unless he leaves the team to train somewhere else and someone agrees with that, because I will not," the coach joked in an interview with Sherdog.com. "It won't happen for now, unless he goes straight for a title shot. Not, ‘Oh no, he left the featherweight belt, moved up to lightweight and started from the beginning,' no way."
He also talked about Aldo running into the crowd following his win:
"I expected him to do something stupid, especially here," Pederneiras laughed, producing from his pocket the Flamengo soccer jersey which Aldo was supposed to wear after the win. "He did [the same thing] in San Diego and he had to hear a lot from the commission staff. But here, with all that crowd, I knew."
Look, I get the desire to see a champion fight other champions and be tested in difficult ways. But, as we've talked about plenty in the past, long-reigning champions are a good thing. Especially when the lower weight classes are still trying to gain traction. The idea that Aldo should be looking to jump up to lightweight after he has his best UFC showing and a great moment with running into the crowd and being mobbed is just crazy talk.
Aldo has the potential to be a real star, but rushing him up in weight isn't going to do him (or the division as a whole) any favors.
0 recs | 43 comments
Good
I don’t get the need that fans have for fighters to move from their weight class. Specially champions.
I agree with pederneiras, title shot or nothing
IRodC - January 17, 2012
shouldnt that be a given though?
benten20 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
For a guy in Aldo’s positon, yes. He’s been so dominant he has to have earned a shot, and LW isn’t packed with contenders right now.
Baby Wads - January 17, 2012
Wait, what!?
LW is a shark tank with a lot of guys capable of being number #1 contender with 1 or 2 fights.
GreyedOut - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Most of the high level contenders are coming off of losses or a single win. The most significant winning streaks belong to Joe Lauzon, Edson Barboza and Jacob Volkmann. Barboza and Volkmann just don’t have the high profile wins, although I suspect they will get the opportunity soon. After UFC on FX we will either have Guillard or Miller back, but I can’t think of anyone fitting to challenge for the title just yet.
Baby Wads - January 17, 2012
Nate Diaz?
MS_Dos_Santos - January 17, 2012
And winner of Pettis/Lauzon
MS_Dos_Santos - January 17, 2012
2 fights isnt a significant win streak
benten20 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
But would you deny that any of them is a legit contender for the title?
GreyedOut - January 17, 2012
Why?
What has Jose Aldo accomplished at 155lbs to say he warrants a title shot more than say a guy like Ben Henderson?
Worldisart - January 17, 2012
Bendo already has his shot ans there’s really not a lot of contenders in line after him.
Chris Hall - January 17, 2012 via Android app
Exactly
I’m not a fan of simply jumping to a division and getting a title shot, but in some cases it’s warranted due to lack of contenders or marketability. Another example of this is Rousey vs Tate.
Baby Wads - January 17, 2012
You’re really going to compare this to Rousey\Tate? WMMA features the most shallow divisions in the sport. Men’s 155lbs is the deepest. There is no comparison to be made.
There are plenty of fighters at 155lbs that are a fight or two away from being a title challenger. There is no reason to have Aldo jump the line to fight Edgar.
Worldisart - January 17, 2012
The analogy isn’t perfect, I’ll admit to that. I see many fighters being maybe two wins away, but I feel like after the Henderson fight, it’s going to be hard to hype the next fighter. The clear choice would be Melendez, but after the new Showtime contract, that won’t happen. Who do you propose receive the next shot at 155?
Baby Wads - January 17, 2012
The analogy holds no water what so ever. It’s bad.
In any event…
There’s the Pettis\Lauzon winner for one.
The winner of Guillard\Miller wouldn’t be far off.
Nate Diaz is sniffing around the top of the pile.
Plenty of options.
Worldisart - January 17, 2012
I had forgotten about Diaz. He really strikes me as the most viable option. He should get another win, but I suppose he could fill in if needed. I doubt Pettis would get a title shot with a win, but Lauzon could off of that victory. And Guillard/Miller would need another win. It isn’t as much a lack of contenders, but there are no fighters who have clearly earned a shot, as there were several months ago.
Baby Wads - January 17, 2012
champion vs. champion match is way more marketable than any other fight except maybe melendez
Which would also be a Champion vs. Champion fight
benten20 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
OK, who's left for him at Featherweight?
That won’t be written off as completely outmatched and / or a joke?
Or should we all embrace years of can crushing from here on out?
KJ Gould - January 17, 2012
Poirier and Koch
God bless Korean Zombie, but he’d get stomped by Aldo.
SSreporters - January 17, 2012
Same went with Silva for a while
And even now, its still in the back of your head. Who is left for him to fight at MW?
A few years ago, there was only one legit challenger. Okami. And he was an answer because he’d beaten Silva before and theres a revenge angle. And the UFC just wouldnt let it happen(and he lost to Sonnen).Then popped up Belfort, Sonnen, and now possibly Munoz Hendo again(some think he’ll beat Silva this time).
You have to give the division time to make challengers. At FW especially since it’s not an established weight class and they are still pretty much trying to figure things out. Aldo will probably have to fight 1 or 2 throwaway fights, which suck, but will give the division time to really pump up
Ricardo Arguello - January 17, 2012
The pity party of okamis elusive title shot is ridiculously over stated. He lost to Franklin, got injured and was replaced by Cote, then lost to sonnen. The ufc definitely gave him every opportunity to get a title shot.
Chris Hall - January 17, 2012 via Android app
in what way can people think hendo will beat silva?
He can’t grind out a decision for 5 rounds and he’s way to slow to strike with silva
benten20 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Both Edgar and Serra were written off before their fights. Silva had to face Cote and leites.
just because there’s not a wealth of quality competition now doesn’t mean there won’t be.
Chris Hall - January 17, 2012 via Android app
exactly
through sonnen in that category too, although he was obviously a) a cheater; and b) he lost. still though, quite a suprising fight.
Clifford J - January 17, 2012
It's not can crushing if the guys are high level talents
Aldo is just on another level
MS_Dos_Santos - January 17, 2012
I don't see Aldo moving up anytime soon.
He will probably defend his title a couple times more, then reconsider.
He’s still young, and still growing, so there may be a time when he can’t cut to featherweight that easy (looked that way already against Hominick).
However, I think he would pose some serious problems to Frankie Edgar. I honestly believe that would be a bad match match-up for the lightweight champ.
@KatanaClothing - January 17, 2012
Isn't his cut getting increasingly difficult?
Chris Hall - January 17, 2012 via Android app
That’s my whole thing. As long as he can make the cut relatively easy without putting his health at risk, I have zero problems with him staying at FW.
I don’t get why people don’t want to see long-standing champions. It’s great for the sport, IMO.
Shnak - January 17, 2012
Yup I don’t mind him staying there, just wasn’t sure if he’s capable.
Chris Hall - January 17, 2012 via Android app
He had one bad cut againt Hominick
The last two went trough without big problems.
Triangled - January 17, 2012
OK cool, I knew one was pretty bad., but didn’t know of it was getting easier for him.
Chris Hall - January 17, 2012 via Android app
Aldo wud tko or ko Edgar… And FW division is real shallow so I dnt see why he wudnt go for it if offered.
The Don Mega - January 17, 2012 via mobile
champ v. champ talk
is always so premature.
when anderson silva was fighting demian maia, and georges st. pierre was fighting hardy, it made sense, i grant you. they were #1 and #1a P4P, maybe all time, and they had BOTH cleaned out their divisions.
then silva struggled against sonnen, and GSP against shields, and challengers emerged in their divisions. and realistically, we missed out on that superfight. i personally think that’s a shame (how often are the P4P 1 and 2 ten pounds apart? what if jones and aldo become the p4p 1 and 2?) but it is not exactly the end of the world.
all this talk about aldo, edgar, jones, etc. moving around is crazy. as we’ve seen time and time again, all these “untouchable champs” can be threatened by the most surprising challengers (shields, sonnen, penn losing to edgar, and of course, serra).
let the champs defend their belts.
Clifford J - January 17, 2012
Champ vs champ only makes sense if one of them wants to move up or down in weight to face the other champ. Fans and/or UFC can’t push its champions to challenge other champions… it has to come from the fighters themselves.
Shnak - January 17, 2012
Puh-lease
GSP was never threatened by Shields. He turned in an overly cautious performance, but never did it seem like Shields could win. Not for a second.
KGNLuc - January 17, 2012 via mobile
by “struggled” i did not mean “threatened.” didn’t mean to be unclear. maybe i should have said “failed to impress”
and i know at least part of it was the eye injury, but he looked like shit in that fight. i can say that even though i continue to be a huge GSP fan. just a bizarre performance. when he didn’t follow shields to the ground after headkicking him, I was like: really?
Clifford J - January 17, 2012
moving wheights
Let’s have GSP move down and Scarface move up and have a superfight title eliminater!!!
ps. probably closest we’ll ever get to a Silva/GSP superfight
SumDumGuy - January 17, 2012
I am one of those who would have liked to see a GSP-Silva superfight
but I think there is so little upside for Aldo in moving up at this point. LW is the most brutal division in the sport, and there’s nothing that indicates he won’t continue his reign of terror at FW. It’s not even like LWs are that much more popular.
Dave Strummer - January 17, 2012
I'd like to see a champion try to win two titles at once
I want Aldo to try and keep both belts. But that probably won’t happen in any division, because the UFC would have fewer title fights to sell. I think it’d add drawing power to Aldo though if he were to become the first double champion in UFC history.
I’m not a person that always wants a champion to move to a different weight class. However, I think it makes some sense for Aldo. Firstly, we’ve seen that he’s had previous trouble making the FW limit. Secondly, I think Aldo has thoroughly proven himself as the best Featherweight – there’s no doubt about it. I picked Chad Mendes to beat Aldo, but now I’m finally sold on him being the best.
GSP is in the same spot, and that’s why I’d like him to try and win the MW title.
As for Anderson Silva, while he’s obviously been dominant for a long time and has produced some spectacular finishes, there’s still questions about him (Henderson and Sonnen both still provide challenges). Also, I don’t think Anderson has any chance against Jon Jones, which is an even more important reason he shouldn’t move up in weight.
Jon Jones is clearly the best fighter in the LHW division, if not the whole sport. But despite that, he’s still a new champion, and there’s plenty of established LHWs that he hasn’t faced. After two more title fights, I’d probably want him to move up in weight as well.
giosanti - January 17, 2012
Why change weight class?
I mean honestly, his popularity in Brazil is very high right now. Better for him to set a high benchmark as a the FW champion with a number of defenses.
If he’s able to defend the title 6 consecutive times, that’s pretty dang impressive regardless of how shallow the division is.
squaresphere - January 17, 2012
It makes sense to me. Frankie Edgar probably is the greatest threat to Aldo’s FW title after all…
Machiel Van - January 17, 2012
the only person who celebrates harder after winning is when Mark Coleman gets stuck jumping in the ropes now if we can combine them
the jewish conquistador - January 17, 2012
Champs make too much money, their managers won’t let them move up, ever.
Mark my words, there will never be a champion who will move up again.
Kenya_MMA - January 17, 2012
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