#WHOATV staff breakdown Aldo Vs McGregor

Jose Aldo Vs Conor McGregor takes place tonight and whilst the good folk at #WHOATV have given their main card predictions, we also asked them to decipher the main event and give some words as to why they are backing either Jose or Conor.

So as you will see the #WHOATV staff are leaning heavily towards a Conor victory and you can read below the reason why;

Michael Morgan (@mikewhoatv)

Since witnessing the early dawn of the UFC, staring at this spectacle as a fan, spectator and armchair critic I’m now viewing the sport of mixed martial arts with renewed vigour. All be it as a media owner, the awe, respect and enthusiasm has returned because of one man. Conor McGregor.

He’s unique as he understands the need to reach the deepest recesses of the mind first when securing a defeat. It’s deliberate, calculated and precise just like his unprecedented movement, accuracy and vernacular. Watching Jose Aldo on the London leg of the media tour early this year one thing was clear. Aldo was a troubled, unsure and broken man. Whilst Aldo has diligently laid claim to the top spot in what was once a division devoid of the spotlight, McGregor has snatched this and it’s clear he has every intention of keeping it.

Whether he’ll be able to back up the outlandish claims he’s made previously of existing in a division without challenges I feel has been answered already. Albeit in fact each and every time he has stepped into the octagon. Speaking as a former McGregor detractor, naysayer and doubter it’s abundantly clear he will have his hand raised on the 12 December. The win will be decisive, conclusive and spectacular as he’ll fade Aldo’s legacy with ferocity. Get ready for the McGregor era as ‘Jesus loves a knock out.’

Ben Szwediuk (@dukemedia_SPORT)

To hear the rhetoric of Conor McGregor- his ingenious and colourful put-downs, his grandiose predictions for crushing and wholesale success- it can be easy for even a keen spectator to dismiss them as merely an extreme example of traditional “trash-talking” in combat sports, albeit unusually artful.

When speaking to the man directly, however, it is a quite different affair. The Dubliner’s gravitas is not superficial. On the topic of martial arts, of himself, and of his ambition, the authority in his voice has the potential to make you curse your own foolishness for ever doubting him for a single moment.

It is this authority which he has carried into The Octagon and, without exception, he has looked like a martial artist with access to another realm of skill, freedom, and utility. It has become a terrible cliché to invoke the spirit of the late Bruce Lee in the description of MMA fighters; however, if there is one man who embodies Lee’s entreaty to “..absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is essentially your own,” that man is McGregor.

Aldo is outstanding, both athletically and technically, and can lay claim to being at a high level in several orthodox disciplines. However, the Irishman respects no orthodoxies, and he will be able to adapt to whatever the long-time featherweight champion may throw at him. I anticipate nothing other than a career-defining victory for McGregor.

Tony Quant (@tonywhoatv)

Well the time is almost upon us and the most anticipated fight of the year goes down in less than 24 hours. But who will win and how is still dividing opinion amongst the MMA community.

Does McGregor have the ability to dethrone Aldo? Certainly. But will he do it? I genuinely don’t see Aldo losing this fight and I think that analysing the weigh-ins has confirmed my believes that the Brazilian will be taking the gold home with him.

For all the brash, outlandish things McGregor has said and done in this huge build up towards the fight, I feel that the reality is now sinking in with him about the size of the task at hand and I think that will affect him when the cage closes.

Skill wise these two are clearly at the top of a thriving weight division and will arguably be top contenders at whatever weigh they choose to fight at post this fight but I think that come fight night Aldo’s ability to focus on the task at hand will be the defining factor and once he lands a few of those leg kicks, McGregor will quickly realise that he is in for the fight of his life.

Rob Harper (@robharpermma)

The reason I have gone with McGregor in this fight has a lot to do with my patriotic heart, but also because McGregor is a relatively unknown quantity against Jose Aldo. This, to me, is a similar fight to Chris Weidman vs Anderson Silva. We had Weidman who has on a vicious tear through the middleweight division, against the seemingly invincible Anderson Silva who had previously looked at his worst against Chael Sonnen in their first match up, but breezed past him in their rematch. As a result it was a very hard fight to call, and Weidman did indeed shock the world. While McGregor won’t shock the casual mma fans (A lot of them expect him to win) you can expect every hardcore mma fans jaw to hit the floor if McGregor does indeed knock out Jose Aldo.

How do I see him winning? In my opinion it will boil down to McGregor effectively checking/evading leg kicks, at least to a point where he gains Aldo’s respect. With one of Aldo’s most devastating weapons neutralized I believe McGregor can utilize his octagon control and establish his unorthodox attacks. From there I think Jose will commit to an overly aggressive flurry and get caught on the counter with a left hook. Matter of fact I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Jose Aldo’s leg breaking ala Weidman/Silva. Chalk it down.

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