Kenny Florian, Manny Gamburyan, Mark Hominick, Chris Mickle.
These are just four names that have been defeated by Jose Aldo as the Brazilian went 18-0 over the last ten years.
Since experiencing his solitary defeat, a rear-naked choke loss to Luciano Azevedo in 2005, Aldo has beaten the who’s who at 145 lbs and will look to continue that streak against Conor McGregor in two weeks.
And some of Aldo’s former conquests have spoken about the main event of UFC 194 which will see the featherweight title unified.
Speaking to MMAFighting, Kenny Florian said: “So a lot of people say, ‘this Conor guy, he’s all talk; he’s not the real deal. Who has he beaten?’ A lot of people are still blinded by this hate for him. But the reality is, this guy is an unbelievable fighter.
“I think we’ll look back on Conor McGregor’s style as a style that will revolutionize MMA striking as we know it. I really believe that. The things he’s doing are phenomenal, and now there is a lot of pressure on Jose Aldo to [win for the pride of Brazil].
“Now, is it fair? Is it right? No. Jose is in a tough spot, and I’m sure there are a lot of Brazilians and a lot of people on his team there are maybe adding to that as well, saying you’ve got to beat this guy who has been talking trash about us for a year.”
Manny Gamburyan, who was Aldo’s final opponent in the WEC, believes that it is McGregor’s brashness that has propelled him to superstar status, whereas it is Aldo’s pure talent.
“It’s really [just] attitude,” Gamburyan said. “It’s not like Conor McGregor is better than Jose Aldo. Conor is not even close to having done the things that Jose Aldo has done. It’s his attitude that makes him a superstar.
“If Jose Aldo was like Conor McGregor, he would be the biggest superstar.”
Chris Mickle, who was knocked out in less than two minutes by Aldo in 2009, thinks that the main event of UFC 194 will have just the one outcome.
“Honestly I don’t think Conor stands a chance against Jose,” Mickle said. “Not by any means, and I’m going to put a lot of money on it.
“People overthink things. It’s not like this is new for Aldo. What was it, his sixth fight in the WEC that he won the title? He’s had it for so long. All he’s going to do is be a smarter fighter, win at least three rounds. And really, I just hope he TKOs or knocks out McGregor, just so he can pretty much say, hey dude, good job talking all that shit and not being able to back it up.”
Whatever happens on December 12, we’ve certainly got an intriguing main event which sees one of the fiercest rivalries in the history of MMA finally get resolved when the octagon door slams shut.
