Does Jose Aldo Have a Chance vs. Henry Cejudo?
Henry Cejudo is the current UFC bantamweight champion, and he has a lot to be proud of. Not only has he won a gold medal at the Olympics for wrestling, but he’s also one of the UFC’s few champions in two divisions. Cejudo’s first bantamweight title defense will be against Jose Aldo, the former champion of the featherweight division, on May 9, 2020.
Jose Aldo and Henry Cejudo’s careers so far
For many UFC fans, Aldo is one of the most legendary fighters in the world. He’s dominated the 145 lb featherweight division for so long that many consider him the GOAT, or greatest of all time, in that division. Indeed, Aldo has defended his title seven times in a row in the UFC alone.
If you count Aldo’s defenses in the WEC, another major MMA organization, then he’s defended that belt nine times in a row. Unfortunately for him, Aldo’s 10th defense was his most famous one. Conor McGregor knocked him out in just 13 seconds. Since then, Aldo’s career has been hit-or-miss, and that’s partially why he decided to drop down to the 135 lb division.
Cejudo is much newer to the game than Aldo, but he’s still decorated. Cejudo’s had 17 fights so far, while Aldo’s had 34, which means Aldo has fought twice as much. Additionally, this fight will be Cejudo’s second title defense ever. That said, he’s beaten a lot of great fighters, like Demetrious Johnson and T.J. Dillashaw, in his short time in the UFC.
Does Aldo even deserve a title shot?
At UFC 245, Aldo made his bantamweight debut against Marlon Moraes. Cejudo knocked him out earlier to become the bantamweight champion, so many fans saw this fight as a chance to see who’d get a shot at Cejudo. Unfortunately for Aldo, after three rounds, the judges thought Moraes won.
On top of this, the bantamweight division is a great division. Many fighters are trying to get a shot at Cejudo. In that same event, Petr Yan, one of the rising stars in the bantamweight division, knocked out Urijah Faber, one of the greatest fighters ever. Other great bantamweight fighters wanted a shot against Cejudo, but the UFC had different ideas.
As MMAjunkie reports, UFC President Dana White thought Aldo won the fight. Not only this, but White said Cejudo thinks Aldo won that fight, too. As a result, Cejudo wanted to fight Aldo, despite the fact that he technically lost his fight against Moraes.
Does Aldo have a chance against Cejudo?
Aldo is a veteran of the sport. With so many fights under his belt and so much experience, anything can happen. Fans consider him to be the greatest of all time for a reason, so it’s totally possible that Aldo, despite losing in his bantamweight debut, can beat Cejudo.
Furthermore, while Cejudo is known as a great wrestler, Aldo is known as a great anti-wrestler. Many people have a hard time wrestling Aldo, so Cejudo may have his hands full. That said, the odds aren’t in Aldo’s favor.
Cejudo showed a lot of toughness, power, and intelligence in his recent title fights. Unlike Aldo, he did beat Moraes. As a result, according to Betting Insider Journal, Cejudo is the favorite to win. His odds are currently -171 while Aldo’s odds are currently +138 — not massively in Cejudo’s favor, so Vegas thinks Aldo has a fair chance to dethrone Cejudo.
