Forecast for the Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munoz fight

The third most important fight at UFC 265 will be the confrontation of Brazilian veterans from the lightest weight category – ex-champion Jose Aldo will clash with Pedro Munoz. For Jose, this match is an extremely risky undertaking, because the opponent is much lower than him in the ratings, but there was simply no other way out for the matchmakers, since the "King of Rio" lost to most of those who were in higher positions.

Given the style in which athletes fight, we will expect a tense and definitely competitive duel. Our task is to help you figure out which of the participants has the best chance of winning, because despite the quotes, the result may be the most unexpected.

• Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munoz;
• Jose Aldo;
• Pedro Munoz;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munoz

Jose Aldo

Jose takes the 4th line of the rating of the lightest weight fighters. In his best years, he held the title of WEC champion in the category up to 66 kg, then was declared the UFC champion, held 7 defenses, losing the belt in a fight with Conor McGregor. Up to that moment, Aldo had not known defeats for 9 years, and after that, he failed to take any awards, except for the belt of the interim champion, and without defending it, he went down to the division up to 61 kg.

The Brazilian has repeatedly received awards for the best knockouts and performances, stood out from the rest with amazing speed and cut the air with impressive low-kicks. In just a few years, he managed to kill all the top opposition in the featherweight division, and even temporarily take first place in the ranking of the best fighters in the world, regardless of weight.

Strengths

Even now, having long passed the peak form, Aldo demonstrates decent speed, explosive strength and technique that many of his colleagues can envy. Good boxing, cardio and well-practiced defense against takedowns allow Jose to feel confident in the most difficult situations.

Weaknesses

Aldo has been fighting for more than 15 years, and such a long career, taking into account the damage received, has affected his "holding" and general physical indicators. In addition, now the athlete is on a new diet and, despite the fact that he talks about its amazing effect, we see that it is increasingly difficult for the Brazilian to drive, and he no longer has the former power.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Jose is 34 years old, his extreme fight against Marlon Vera (December 2020) was the first winning performance since May 2019. Up to that point, the former champion had lost three times in a row, having stumbled in fights with Alexander Volkanovsky, Marlon Moraes (split decision) and Peter Yan. And yet, a full-fledged training camp, and enough time for recovery, will allow Aldo to show his form no worse than last time.

Pedro Munoz

"The Young Punisher" is on the 8th position of the rating. From an early age, he was engaged in karate, judo and BZHJ, which explains his comprehensive development. Before making his debut in the UFC, Pedro became the champion of the RFA, held one defense, and then broke into the top league. Here he managed to give out the best fights of the evening more than 5 times, and all thanks to dynamite in the hands of the Brazilian, along with excellent work in the stalls.

Munoz, to match his future rival, has a decent list of opposition batted by him, although many representatives of the young school were able to get the better of him. However, this does not detract from the fact that Pedro is the most dangerous opponent for anyone in his division, both due to technical skills and personal qualities.

Strengths

Munoz is good because he knows how to fight in all planes – 8 submishens with 5 knockouts in his career, direct proof of this. At the right moment, he can arrange a cut, or vice versa, disassemble the enemy, scoring points, which is why it is extremely difficult to read his actions. And it is almost impossible to force the "Punisher" to give a back one at all.

Weaknesses

Pedro is a high-class athlete, and he is not just in the top, but over the last 5 fights, the 34-year-old Brazilian has scored a 3-2 statistic. He failed to pass the peak of Aljamain Sterling, and snatched the victory from Frankie Edgar. But early victories over Cody Garbrandt, Brian Careway, and a confident victory in the fight with Jimmy Rivera at the end of February this year showed that Pedro is now in the prime of his life. He is fast, strong, and most importantly – experienced, which together gives him the opportunity to compete at the highest level.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Luis is 34 years old, he has not fought for almost 9 months, but managed to reach a series of 3 victories. But the opposition in those fights was questionable: one-armed Nick Newell, Ken Coulter with a 6-6 record, and Devin Powell with two wins in the last 6 fights. Before that, Muro himself lost three times (ahead of schedule), so taking into account all the variables, it is not worth expecting a decent performance from him against a strong opponent.

Comparative analysis

Let's start with the anthropometric indicators: in this component, Aldo has an absolute advantage, because he is 3 cm taller, and surpasses his opponent by 13 cm in reach. If you look at the opponents ' base, they have a similar one – both have black belts in BZH, although Jose, who comes from Muay Thai, has better percussive skills, unlike the karate player Munoz. Due to this, as well as a larger arm span, the ex-champion will look more confident in the stand, but Pedro has every chance to level this factor due to activity (he strikes twice as many accentuated blows per minute).

Both have excellent protection against takedowns, so it is unlikely to be possible to see them on the ground, although Munoz tries to transfer opponents much more often, with much worse takedown success rates than the same Aldo. The experience definitely goes into the piggy bank of Jose, they are about equal in endurance, but the resistance is an order of magnitude better for Pedro – he is not broken, and so far no one has managed to send him to a knockout. We also note that according to the general indicator of the work done, Munoz also breaks out ahead – Aldo has become too careful, rarely takes risks and tries not to get hacked.

Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munoz Fight Prediction

We are waiting for a three-round confrontation, so it will be a dynamic duel in which the one who manages to take the initiative from the very start will take the upper hand. Given that Jose has been harnessing for a long time, and revealed only from the equator of the battle, there is a high probability that an active, and not afraid of damage, Pedro, will take everything under his control. Based on dry statistics, we can conclude that Munoz will simply process Aldo, press him to the net at critical moments, and score points, throwing more and more designating blows. For this reason, two types of bets deserve attention: the victory of Pedro Munoz and the emphasis on the fact that the fight will pass its equator, since no one in this division managed to strangle Aldo in less than 15 minutes. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Victory of Pedro Munoz/total rounds more than 2.5.