MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Vegas 44, a five-round bantamweight bout between Rob Font and Jose Aldo. The event takes place on Saturday, December 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Rob Font (-150)
Font (19-4) is the No. 4 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The 34-year-old American is 9-3 overall in the UFC since joining the world’s leading MMA promotion back in 2014. Font is currently riding a four-fight win streak with back-to-back notable wins over Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Moraes in his last two fights. One of the best boxers in the UFC, Font has big-time power in his hands and he has used his KO power to turn himself into one of the top fighters in his division. Font has been one of the best bantamweights in the UFC for a while now, and he is closing in on getting a title shot. If he can go out there and earn a career-best win over Aldo, Font could fight for the 135lbs belt in 2022.
Jose Aldo (+130)
Aldo (30-7) is the No. 5 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The 35-year-old Brazilian is 12-6 overall in the UFC dating back to his promotional debut in 2011. He has fought and defeated many of the best featherweights in the world, holding notable victories over the likes of Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes, The Korean Zombie, Urijah Faber, Jeremy Stephens, Pedro Munhoz, and Marlon Vera. Aldo has long been considered to be one of the best strikers in the UFC. He has a varied striking attack on the feet that includes himself mixing up his hands with all the other limbs on his body, particularly his legs, as he has been known throughout his career for his nasty kicking game. Aldo is generally able to sprawl and brawl in his fights, and on the feet, he almost always has the advantage when it comes to striking. Against Font, it will be interesting to see how he matches up on the feet against another striker with big power. If Aldo wins, another title shot could be coming up in 2022.
Fight Breakdown: I’m very much looking forward to this bantamweight bout between Font and Aldo. Both guys are fighting at a high level right now and, on paper, match up very well against one another. They are two strikers who are going to want to stand and trade, so to predict the winner of this fight would be to correctly determine who the more effective striker is. Although I do like how Aldo mixes up his strikes more with his hands and feet, I also find him to be a much more stationary target on the feet. Font primarily uses his hands only, but he’s fast and powerful with them and he should be able to beat Aldo to the punch here. I also feel like Font is more defensively responsible than Aldo is. This is going to be a very close fight, but I’m leaning towards Font to win the decision.
Prediction: Rob Font
