Getty Jose Aldo
Former UFC 145-pound king Jose Aldo has all the tools to defeat reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and become the first-ever fighter to capture both divisional titles.
That’s according to Aldo’s teammate, ex-Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas. Dantas (23-7) recently spoke to AgFight.com about the “King of Rio’s” potential of winning the strap. He said that if the UFC decided to grant Aldo a shot at Sterling, it would be “really bad news” for the “Funk Master.”
Although he complimented Sterling’s heart and dedication, he doesn’t see the 135-pound champion’s skillset matching up to Aldo’s.
“If they were to put Aldo to fight for the belt now, it would be really bad news for Sterling,” Dantas said as per Bloody Elbow’s translation. “Sterling couldn’t take down Aldo with that terrible skill set of his. He’s a very dedicated champion, with a huge heart, but his game is not solid. He’s clumsy. He can’t punch or kick well. He’s not a finisher. He has a deep gas tank and a lot of willpower, but I don’t think he’s going to last very long as the champion. I think that Aldo takes the belt from Sterling, if they fought. I think Sterling would get beat up.”
“Junior (Aldo) throws lots of leg kicks and he’s not afraid of getting taken down.” Dantas continued. “He plants his feet more now. He has been moving more, but he is more planted, too. He walks forward. It would be a great fight, where Junior would pick him apart. He would frustrate Sterling. Aldo is a patient guy, he gets into his opponent’s minds. Round by round, until he can land a punch and win by knockout.”
There have been several UFC fighters who have captured two different weight-class belts. However, no one has ever successfully earned both the 145 and 135-pound titles.
Aldo Is Ranked No. 3 at Bantamweight, Riding a 3-Fight Win Streak
Aldo (31-7) is arguably the greatest featherweight of all time, holding the World Extreme Cagefighting 145-pound championship from 2009 until the promotion was absorbed by the UFC. He was promoted to the inaugural featherweight champion in 2010 and went on to defend the belt seven times, the most in UFC history.
The King of Rio moved to bantamweight in 2019 and although he lost his debut to Marlon Moraes via a razor-thin split decision, he received a 135-pound title fight in his next outing. He was unable to capture gold, however, losing to Petr Yan via TKO.
Aldo is 3-0 since then, toppling Rob Font, Pedro Munhoz and Marlon Vera, all by unanimous decision. He’s currently ranked No. 3, according to the official UFC bantamweight standings.
Sterling & Aldo Have Both Expressed Interest in Fighting Each Other Next
For his second title defense, Sterling has shown interest in battling Aldo. Sterling’s first came in April at UFC 273 when he unified the title against Petr Yan via split decision. Later that month, the Funk Master said that Aldo is “deserving” of a title fight.
Aldo has also campaigned for a title fight. On April 28, Aldo tweeted: “Aljamain, I am waiting for you to sign the contract for our fight. There is no doubt that the fans want to watch this fight. We are currently the 2 best bantamweights in the UFC.”
The other one is a clown who faked his retirement just to try to raise his purse – as that did not work now he wants to fight for the title after spending 2 years out of the game (and out of the USADA’s pool).