UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor Predictions, Picks and Betting Preview – December 12, 2015

It’s finally happening! Jose Aldo. Conor McGregor. UFC 194.

The long awaited championship bout between UFC Featherweight Champion Aldo and Irish sensation McGregor is about to go down in the main event of UFC 194. But the stakes cannot get any higher. After Aldo pulled out of their previously scheduled matchup at UFC 189, McGregor fought for and won the UFC Interim Championship with a second round stoppage of top contender Chad Mendes.

Aldo vs. McGregor now becomes a title unification fight between two champions with their own unique set of skills. Aldo is a beastly Muay Thai stylist with a deadly Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game, while McGregor is making waves with his unorthodox technique and fiery tongue.

It’s the biggest fight of the year, but it’ll need an awesome supporting cast to truly propel it as one of the best UFC events of all time. Check out our complete breakdown of the UFC 194 undercard headlined by the UFC Middleweight Championship bout between champ Chris Weidman and No. 1 contender Luke Rockhold.
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UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor Preview

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

When: Saturday, December 11, 10:00 PM ET

Line: Jose Aldo (-110) vs. Conor McGregor (-120) – view all UFC 194 lines

Betting on Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo (25-1) is the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. There’s no question about it. He’s been undefeated for almost 10 years with victories over top competition Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Kenny Florian and Frankie Edgar. The list goes on; there’s no fighter of any style that Aldo has not beaten.

[sc:UFC240banner ]The resume is certainly there. But Aldo wouldn’t have beaten all those names if not for a killer skillset. The champion has vicious Muay Thai that strikes fear into most of his challengers. His right leg kick is his best weapon, routinely chopping his opponents’ legs from under them in fight. Who could forget his utter destruction of Faber’s leg back in their WEC days? Or numbing the inside of Florian’s leg for months after their fight?

Aldo doesn’t just have leg kicks. He has wicked counter boxing that regularly put his opponents on their backsides. Aldo knocked top contender Chad Mendes down in his latest title defense in October 2014. He also had a vicious knockdown of Mark Hominick in his UFC debut in April 2011. Both knockdowns were caused by a tight straight right, something that Aldo could use against a southpaw like Conor McGregor.

A deadly striking arsenal can only take you so far in the best mixed martial arts organization in the world. Aldo truly embraces every facet of MMA. He has a strong base that can help him shrug off opponents’ attempts of dragging him to the mat, defending 91.3 percent of takedown attempts against him. The champ also happens to have a strong offensive wrestling game, landing over 70 percent of his own takedowns.

It’s not all that. Aldo is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Andre Pederneiras. The champ is yet to truly showcase his submission skills inside the Octagon, mostly relying on keeping his top position and ground and pound against his opponents. But if Aldo tastes McGregor’s power, expect him to shoot in for a takedown and keep the fight there as long as he can.

Aldo has won 18 straight fights, including 10 championship bouts, since his only career loss in November 2005.

Betting on Conor McGregor

After months and months of endless trash talk and bizarre antics, the “Notorious” Conor McGregor (18-2) finally gets his hands on UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo. McGregor gets his second crack not just as the challenger for the undisputed title, but as the Interim Featherweight Champion of the world.

The Irishman won himself a shiny new belt in July, facing the self-proclaimed “Mike Tyson” of the division Chad Mendes. Mendes showed what he was capable of, slamming McGregor to the canvas as well as landing walloping punches. But McGregor was not to be deterred. He wound up winning most of the striking exchanges with creative kicks and blistering punch combos.

McGregor landed 74 total strikes, including 15 hard blows to the body of Mendes, before landing the brutal knockout punch. The Irishman would be better served to target Aldo’s body in this fight as the champion routinely fades the longer fights go on. Repeatedly battering the body with punches or kicks can quickly sap one’s energy, and eventually opens up the head.

McGregor also stands an excellent chance of lighting Aldo up in their striking exchanges. He has excellent boxing and an unpredictable kicking game. He’ll open up with spinning back kicks and snap kicks to keep Aldo in the Irishman’s ideal striking distance. It’s also in that kicking distance that McGregor loves to dart in with his right hook/jab and straight combo; a combination that’s felled plenty of his opponents.

Standing in the southpaw stance should also give the interim champ the openings he needs to load up on his left straight. One thing that can be picked up on Aldo’s last fight against Mendes, it’s that he’s susceptible to left handed techniques. Aldo drops his right guard when he jabs, something a counter striker like McGregor could fully take advantage of.

McGregor has won all six of his UFC fights, five by knockout or technical knockout.

Writer’s Prediction

Aldo has been the champion for so long. But he’ll finally meet his match in Ireland’s Conor McGregor (-120). The Notorious puts on ridiculous pressure en route to a third round technical knockout victory.

There’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to fighting. Create a betting account now and win yourself a ridiculous amount of cash in the biggest MMA event to date.
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