Aldo Underdog vs. Holloway at UFC 218
Aldo Underdog vs. Holloway at UFC 218
Jose Aldo will have a chance to avenge his recent loss to Max Holloway at UFC 212, and regain his UFC featherweight crown, when he takes on the young Hawaiian in the main event of UFC 218 on Saturday as a +235 underdog on the UFC odds.
Arguably the greatest featherweight fighter in MMA history, Aldo enjoyed an unprecedented five-year run as UFC featherweight champion. Aldo successfully defended his title on seven occasions before falling to defeat in shocking fashion to Conor McGregor, and has now lost the belt in two of three fights ahead of Saturday night’s matchup at Little Caesars Arena.
The 31-year-old Brazilian ended up on the wrong end of McGregor’s record-shattering knockout victory as -125 chalk just 13 seconds into their clash at UFC 194. Aldo would later claw his way back to the top of the UFC featherweight division following a five-round unanimous decision win over Frankie Edgar as a -105 underdog at UFC 200, but suffered the second KO loss of his career just six months ago, falling to Holloway at UFC 212 as -165 chalk to drop his professional MMA record to 26-3.
Holloway enters his first defense as undisputed UFC featherweight champion pegged as a strong -305 favorite. Holloway initially claimed the interim UFC featherweight crown with a third-round TKO victory over Anthony Pettis at UFC 206 as a -300 bet, a clash in which Pettis became ineligible to win the title after missing weight.
Overall, the 25-year-old has gone undefeated in 11 straight octagon appearances since dropping a three-round unanimous decision to McGregor as a +250 underdog at UFC Fight Night 26. Holloway has earned Performance of the Night bonuses on three occasions during that stretch, and sports an 18-3 pro MMA record.
However, unlike Aldo, who has gone a full five rounds on seven occasions during his pro MMA career, Holloway has not seen action in championship rounds since claiming a five-round split decision win over Harris Sarmiento at X-1: Champions 3 in 2011.
Ngannou Faces Overeem on UFC 218 Card
In other UFC 218 action, Francis Ngannou aims for a 10th straight victory in the octagon as he takes on No. 1 heavyweight challenger Alistair Overeem. Ngannou has recorded three straight victories inside three minutes, capped by a Performance of the Night win over Andrei Arlovski as -380 chalk at UFC on Fox 23.
Sergio Pettis vies for a fifth straight victory in a featherweight clash with Henry Cejudo, while Michelle Waterston looks to rebound from a second-round submission loss to Rose Namajunas as she battles fellow women’s strawweight Tecia Torres.
* Bovada Sportsbook Odds as of November 27, 2017
