PREVIEW | UFC Vegas 44: Jose Aldo vs Rob Font

This Saturday, the UFC returns to the Apex for another blockbuster card on paper. The main event see’s the consensus greatest Featherweight of all time, Jose Aldo, take on one of the best boxers on the current UFC roster, Rob Font.

The prelims kick off with a Bantamweight bout between Louis Smolka and Vince Morales. Smolka was scheduled to fight ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley on the huge UFC 264 card, however, had to pull out of the scheduled bout due to an infection. His return on Saturday marks a year exactly since he last stepped into the Octagon, when he defeated Jose Quinonez in December of 2020. Vince Morales has had quite a tough ride so far in the UFC, with his first bout under the UFC banner in 2018 being against power puncher, Song Yadong. After 1 win, he was then granted bouts with Benito Lopez and Chris Gutierrez being beaten in both. I can see the fight playing out on the feet, with Smolka having a lot of success and getting the finish in the first 2 rounds.

A Welterweight bout between Alex Morono and Mickey Gall follows, with Morono looking to make it 3 in a row, after defeating ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and David Zawada already this year. Mickey on the other hand is performing at a win loss ratio of 50%, as in his last 6 fights, he hasn’t put together consecutive wins. Both fighters are Jiu-Jitsu specialists, so I am expecting the fight to play out at quite a slow and patient pace, and can see Morono taking the unanimous decision victory, making it 3 in a row.

The penultimate bout of the prelims see’s Manel Kape face Zhalgas Zhumagulov, in what I predict will be one of the fights of the night. Kape, who is the former Rizin Bantamweight champion, came to the promotion with a lot of expectation and hype due to his previous fights in Rizin and his fight style. His UFC career didn’t get off to the start he may have expected as he was defeated by Alexandre Pantoja, who is the current rank 3 in the Flyweight division and Matheus Nicolau in a controversial split decision loss. He bounced back from a 2 fight losing skid by defeating Ode Osbourne with a highlight reel flying knee. Similarly to Kape, Zhalgas lost his first 2 UFC bouts, bouncing back with his recent win over Jerome Rivera. This bout will mark the first bout of Zhumagulov’s new contract, and he’ll be hoping it mark it with a statement win. I see the bout playing out to Kape’s advantage as his striking is more polished than Zhalgas’, with a unanimous decision victory for Kape what I am predicting.

The featured prelim bout see’s a clash of 2 Middleweights coming off the back of losses. The Serbian, ‘Thunder’ Todorovic faces off against Maki Pitolo in a fight that both need a win to resurrect their UFC careers. Both fighters acquired their UFC contracts through the Contender Series, with both fighters only winning once since their Contender Series victories. I can see the fight playing out on the feet, with Todorovic throwing with volume using the clinch to his advantage, getting a finish.

Kicking off the main card is a barn burner in the middleweight division, between Chris Curtis and Brendan Allen. ‘The Action Man’, Chris Curtis, caused an upset in his UFC debut against Phil Hawes, KO’ing him with a short left hook to the dome. During that fight, he faced some adversity as Hawes was laying it on him with beautiful body strikes and powerful combinations. Brendan Allen, another Contender Series alumni, is looking to stop Curtis’ streak of 6 wins in a row, starting a streak of his own as he looks to end the year with a 100% win record, already with 2 wins for the year. Curtis is going to look to try and keep the fight on the feet, nullifying the threat of Allen’s black belt BJJ credentials. I can see Allen getting the fight to the ground early on with a decision victory or submission win on the cards.

The co-main event see’s an even matchup between ‘Attaman’ Fiziev and Brad Riddell. This matchup is one I am most looking forward too as Fiziev is one of the most explosive strikers in the Lightweight division, coming up against his toughest test so far in Riddell. In his last bout, Fiziev defeated Bobby Green in a war, taking the unanimous decision victory, showing that he’s not just an explosive striker and can in fact, take some punishment as well as dishing it out. Both fighters are coming into the bout 10-1, looking to catapult themselves into a top 10 fight. Fiziev will fancy himself if the fight stays standing but I envisage Riddell shooting for the legs after tasting any of Fiziev’s shots. Fiziev will utilise his Muay Thai style with vicious leg kicks and strikes in the clinch, and I am predicting ‘Attaman’ will get the finish and will be granted a top 10 opponent after being one of the most avoided guys in the division.

The Bantamweight division will again show its quality in Saturday nights main event, when Font and Aldo step into the Octagon. Currently occupying ranks 4 and 5, a win for either fighter gives them a great platform for a title fight, or at the least, a number one contender fight against the recently returned, TJ Dillashaw. Font is coming off the back of a 5 round masterclass against former Bantamweight King, Cody Garbrandt. Before that bout, everyone knew about Font’s elite boxing, but we weren’t really sure how he’d fair against another elite boxer. During the fight, Font stuck behind his jab and jabbed his way to a unanimous decision victory, putting his name at the top end of a stacked Bantamweight division. On the other side of the Octagon you have the King of Rio, Jose Aldo, coming off the back of a unanimous decision victory over Pedro Munhoz where he showed once again that age is just a number, and he is still a man to be feared in the Bantamweight division.

Font’s boxing heavy approach may be his downfall in this fight against Jose Aldo, as if he relies too much on his heavy hands, he may find himself getting chewed up by leg kicks as his feet will be planted too often. Jose Aldo will mix up his attacks better than Font, going from body to head mixing in his powerful leg kicks, closing the distance as much as possible. Font’s keys too victory will be sticking behind his jab and keeping his distance from Jose Aldo, utilising his range and length to his advantage.

In a division that is leaking with talent, who will put on a show on Saturday night and get a possible number one contender fight with former champ, TJ Dillashaw?