MMA Preview – Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265
JOSE ALDO VS PEDRO MUNHOZ FACTS
When is UFC 265? Sunday 8th August, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 265? Toyota Center, Houston, Texas (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 265? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 265
What channel is UFC 265 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 265? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
JOSE ALDO VS PEDRO MUNHOZ LOWDOWN
The King of Rio Jose Aldo (29-7) is back for his 18th UFC fight. 12 of those have been title fights and it is remarkable he is still slugging it out with the best. The only featherweights to beat him are former champions Conor McGregor, Max Holloway and current champion Alexander Volkanovski. After that loss to Volkanovski in 2019, he tried his hand at bantamweight which was a surprise as he was depleting himself to make 145 lbs. However, he looked great against Marlon Moraes and somehow lost a split decision. The UFC clearly thought he won as he was awarded a fight for the vacant title against Petr Yan. He was eventually outclassed by the new breed getting TKO’d in the fifth round. People are starting to write the legend off, but he returned five months later and earnt a unanimous decision over top contender Marlon Vera.
The 18th
savage in line for Aldo is Pedro Munhoz (19-5(1)) who looked at his best coming off two losses in a row. After burying Bryan Caraway and Cody Garbrandt, he ran into the current champion Aljamain Sterling losing a unanimous decision and then fell on the wrong side of a split decision to Frankie Edgar. He has made a habit of falling short against top contenders, but he put on a clinic against Jimmie Rivera winning a unanimous decision in February and is now 9-5(1) in the UFC.
JOSE ALDO VS PEDRO MUNHOZ PREDICTION
This has got barnburner written all over it. Expect them to put their Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts to one side and engage in a violent kickboxing battle. They both have a dangerous kicking game, especially Aldo but we assume some sort of hip injury over the years has limited his use. We can still expect some lethal kicks from both men, but the majority of their output will be supplied by their ferocious hands.
Aldo has lost a bit of the pop, but he still has the edge when it comes to speed, technique, defence, experience as well as an important five-inch reach advantage. His movement and reaction time is still there and although he has taken a lot of damage in recent years, the only fighter to out strike him without a reach advantage is Yan.
Munhoz can win this with a constant output popping the jab, calf kicks and rips to the liver. He has the power to wear Aldo down, but ‘three-round’ Aldo is still a monster. We feel Munhoz will have to land a killer blow and rock Aldo to at least win a round and scrape the third to win a decision.
However, Aldo is just a notch above in every area and we expect him to find a home for his hands and feet with ease. Munhoz has a granite chin so he will be hard to put away. He also has the power to change the course of the fight so this will be a close one and one hell of a scrap but we are backing the King of Rio.
Prediction: Aldo via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Munhoz via Decision
