Former two-times featherweight champion Jose Aldo entered the UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 co-main event on Saturday as the underdog despite being ranked higher than his opponent Renato Moicano.
Moicano entered the bout on a two-fight winning streak and rank
ed No. 5 in the 145-pound division. Aldo impressed in his last outing by taking out Jeremy Stephens after losing back-to-back fights to champion Max Holloway. After the losses to Holloway, many wrote Aldo off as past his prime. The 32-year old showed that he’s still at the top of the food chain in the featherweight division by finishing Moicano in the second round.
The first frame was largely a feeling out process with each fighter respecting the other’s capabilities. Aldo landed to the body while Miocano looked to establish his jab and utilize his reach advantage.
In the second round, the pace picked up dramatically. Moicano moved forward and landed a leg kick. Aldo countered with a left hand that backed up Moicano. Aldo went in pursuit and landed left hands to the body while mixing in right hands to the head. He delivered a knee followed by two uppercuts that left Moicano out on his feet. Two right hands later the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
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“I wanted to vary my shots, hit hit high, hit him low. He’s a little bit taller so I wanted to exploit his body a little bit more,” said Aldo during his post-fight interview.
“Tonight I came in here as the underdog. Nobody believed in me,” he said. “In life, a lot of the time, people say that you can’t do something. You have to believe in yourself. You have to chase your dreams.”
With the win, Aldo solidified his place as the No. 2 ranked featherweight in the world. He showed no signs of slowing down and wants to fight again in May.
“We’ll have to see who is next, but I really want to fight on the next card in Brazil in May and get another victory here in Brazil.
