Jose Aldo defeated Urijah Faber via unanimous decision on Saturday at WEC 48, squashing all doubts about who is the top featherweight in the world. By utilizing a barrage of leg kicks and quick in and out striking, Aldo was able to systematically dismantle Faber throughout the entire five round fight.
Early in the first round it seemed to be anyone’s fight, with each fighter trying to settle into some type of rhythm. While not a lot of strikes were thrown, the stronger, more accurate strikes came from Aldo. As the first round ended, it appeared that Aldo narrowly won by virtue of his more effective striking.
The second round is when Aldo’s striking really began to shine, as he threw a number of laser-guided leg kicks that Faber seemed to have no answer for. Not only did Faber have no answer, but he also had no way of defending them. By the end of the second round, they had taken a visible toll on his left leg, which was beginning to swell considerably.
Unfortunately for Faber, the remainder of the fight went the same way. Aldo continued to throw leg kicks and punish Faber’s left and right side. In fact, at the end of round four, Faber’s leg was so badly swollen that his corner man picked him up and carried him back to his corner. Despite the damage that he took, he never showed a hint of wanting to quit—a testament to his durability and heart. The fight ended with a completely unanimous decision, with Aldo winning every single round and retaining his WEC featherweight championship belt.
Throughout the entire fight, there was an overwhelming sense that Faber was simply outclassed by a faster, superior fighter. This speaks volumes about Jose Aldo’s talent, because Urijah Faber is still one of the best, most accomplished featherweight fighters in the world. Faber has no choice now but to go home, heal up, and try to figure out what went wrong.
What’s next for Jose Aldo? Most likely, he will continue to defend his title in the 145lb division. If he gets to the point when he’s cleaned out the entire division (á la Anderson Silva), then it would make sense for him to test the waters in another weight class. If this happens, we’re guessing that his most likely choice would be to move up to 155lbs in either the WEC or UFC lightweight division.
Tags: Featherweight, WEC
