Two-time former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] will bid to become a two-weight UFC champ when steps into the octagon on “Fight Island” to challenge for the vacant bantamweight title.
Aldo (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will take on Russian contender and former ACB bantamweight champion Petr Yan (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on the main card of UFC 251, which takes place Saturday at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
The fight offers a battle between one of the most dominant champions in UFC history and a rising star of Russian MMA, who is looking to join fellow countryman Khabib Nurmagomedov and bring a second UFC championship belt back to his homeland. Ahead of the bantamweight title clash, we take a look at five fights that have helped define Aldo’s stellar career to date.
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Cub Swanson at WEC 41 – June 7, 2009
Aldo had gone 4-0 in WEC, including a pair of first-round finishes, when he took on Swanson in a featherweight title eliminator in Sacramento, Calif. Another first-round finish swiftly followed, as Aldo produced a stunning flying knee to flatten Swanson in the very first exchange of the fight.
A couple of ground strikes put the seal on an eight-second knockout win that put the rest of the featherweight world on notice and booked Aldo into a hotly-anticipated title clash with Mike Brown.
Next up: A champion’s performance