Jose Aldos Fight to Win?

Jose Aldo (7-0 UFC) is no stranger to high profile fights and defending his title as he has been the WEC featherweight champion under the Zuffa Banner for half a decade if not a bit longer now. The featherweight champion and #1 pound for pound fighter on the planet has been on the receiving end of alot of scrutiny to his divisional reign since his newest opponent Conor McGregor (6-0 UFC) has hit the scene even MMA oddsmakers giving McGregor the favorite moniker.

But is is fair to say that Jose Aldo should not be the heavy favorite as he has defeated some of the greats of the division such as Faber (8-4 UFC), Edgar (13-4-1 UFC), and Mendes (8-3 UFC) (2x)? With UFC 194 coming fast, are there ways that Jose Aldo can win this fight, since really this is his fight to lose. Aldo lacks the technical power that McGregor is able to throw in his techniques, but has the raw power and striking output to match the “Pick his shots” attitude that McGregor displays with his opponents. Could the muay thai style that is kick heavy stop the eat a shot to get inside tactic that McGregor uses more often than not more and more into his fights? And let’s not be crazy here fight fans as we all know this fight is not going to go to the ground here and not many people are impressed or sure about McGregors’ or Aldos ground game except noting that Aldo has a better take down defense than McGregor as seen in both their comparative fights against Chad Mendes. But Aldo did have this to say for any doubters after his UFC 189 scratch :

“[McGregor] wouldn’t even get close to me, he wouldn’t hit me. That’s not what stopped me from fighting, but other things that would happen. The fight is not what bothered me. I will go there and win like I always did.

“It was the weight cut. I would go there and still need to cut weight. The fight itself didn’t bother me. He also had a bad knee too. Relax. Wherever I hit, brother, you go to sleep.”

“Another win. No reason to be different. That’s what I fight for. It doesn’t matter how it goes. I have to go there, win, and remain champion. The only difference is that I always fought against Americans, and now I’m beating up an Irishman.”

With him actually happy the Irishman is there :

“He’s working for me, bringing me money, so why am I going to be angry at him?” Aldo said. “I love all this. He has done good things for the division. If we had another one like him, it would be great.

“He’s just another one. I’ve fought many top fighters before, and he’s just another opponent I have to go there and run through.”

“It doesn’t matter if he underestimates me or not. I focus on myself and I train for myself. When I get in there, it doesn’t matter what he or others think. I think about myself, and I know I’ll go in there to work and win.”

And for the MMA fans doubting he’ll show on Dec 12

“I will be there, for sure, one more time, winning, as usual. That’s normal for me.”

So fans give us your thoughts on this match-up and do you think this is Aldos fight to lose or win?