Aldo Wants Out While much of the MMA world was celebrating that Conor McGregor will take on Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 this November, a certain interim UFC featherweight champion was extremely upset. Jose Aldo, the man who McGregor defeated for the UFC featherweight title last December, who beat Frankie Edgar at UFC 100, was certain he’d be facing McGregor next, and he doesn’t want to wait any longer. Not only is he refusing to fight Max Holloway or Anthony Pettis while he waits, according to a recent interview with Brazilian news site Combate, he wants to be released from his UFC contract. This doesn’t seem to be a blind threat either, as according to his manager, Aldo is willing to fight the UFC in court to get his release. Stay tuned for further developments as this situation could get much worse before it gets better. Fight Announcements Justin Scoggins (11-2-0) vs. Pedro Munhoz (12-2-0): UFC Fight Night 100, November 19, 2016 After missing weight badly for his fight against Ian McCall and forcing a bout cancellation, Justin Scoggins announced a move up to the UFC bantamweight division and his first bout is going to be a doozy. His first opponent will be former RFA bantamweight champion Pedro Munhoz. Munhoz has gone 2-2 with one no contest in the UFC thus far, most recently defeating Russell Doane via submission in the first round this past July. Scoggins went 4-2 in the flyweight division before moving up, defeating Ray Borg via unanimous decision in his last bout this past February. This fight should be very evenly matched so I expect the betting lines to be close, with a slight lean towards Munhoz due to his size and experience in the division, although Scoggins has always carried a pretty hefty amount of hype so the line could certainly open on his side. Jake Ellenberger (33-11-0) vs. Jorge Masvidal (30-11-0): TUF 24 Finale, December 3, 2016 Jorge Masvidal has a new opponent, and this fight should be very compelling. Masvidal was expected to face Kelvin Gastelum, but Gastelum was moved to UFC 205 to face Donald Cerrone instead. Now, Masvidal will face the resurgent Jake Ellenberger, who’s coming off likely the second biggest victory of his career, a first round TKO of Matt Brown at UFC 201, which halted a two-fight skid. Masvidal was also victorious at UFC 201, ending a two-fight losing streak himself by earning a decision victory over Ross Pearson. While Ellenberger looked great in his recent win, Masvidal will likely open as the betting favorite. Masvidal has gone 2-2 since moving up to the welterweight division while Ellenberger has still lost five of his last seven fights, although all losses were to top 15 opponents at the time.
