UFC: Jose Aldo puts in vintage display to shake off Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera – and calls for TJ Dillashaw next
- Legendary former UFC featherweight champ gets first win down at 135 pounds with unanimous decision over Vera
- ‘It was important to come back to the win column,’ says Aldo, who calls on UFC boss Dana White to book showdown with former champ Dillashaw
Jose Aldo put in a vintage performance to secure a unanimous decision against Marlon “Chito” Vera, getting back to winning ways and showing is still one of the top threats in the UFC bantamweight division.
Entering to his old walkout song – Jay Z and Rihanna’s Run This Town – Brazil’s “King of Rio” looked back to his best in the UFC Vegas 17 co-main event on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, against a No 15-ranked upstart who had been looking to put himself into the mix.
But former UFC featherweight champ Aldo (29-7) – considered by many the greatest to ever do it at 145 pounds – picked up his first win in his new division at the third time of asking, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 for the Brazilian 34-year-old over Vera (16-7-1).
“It was important to come back in the win column,” Aldo told UFC commentator and former two-weight champ Daniel Cormier in his post-fight interview.
It was the Aldo of old, mixing in body shots, leg kicks and even his ground game as he did what he had to do to stifle a momentum change from Vera in the second round.