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Who wins the Jose Aldo-Frankie Edgar bout, and how?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Are you willing to bet against Jose Aldo until he actually loses a fight? Because I know I'm not. I'll ride that guy until someone proves he's beatable, because right now I don't really know what the path to victory for an opponent would even be.
It's ironic; Edgar defeats Ben Henderson at 155, gets screwed out of reclaiming his rightful UFC Lightweight Championship, succumbs to the pressure and agrees to drop to featherweight so he can fight against guys who won't lord over him, and in his first fight at the lower weight class he's still going to be dwarfed by his opponent. Go figure, right?
Aldo by TKO in the third.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I think Aldo is just too dynamic for Edgar. I think that Edgar is the toughest opponent that Aldo has ever faced, but I also feel that Aldo is the toughest opponent that Edgar has ever faced as well. I can't count Edgar out because the guy is so scrappy, but I just can't see him beating Aldo. Nomrally I would go with Aldo wining by TKO in the 3rd round, but because Edgar is so tough I'm going to go with Aldo by decision. I think it'll be like a 48-47 type fight, with maybe a 49-46 as well. I expect the fight to be really close, though.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I cannot bring myself to bet against Edgar. I have three times and three times he made me the fool. Aldo is a great champ and in my top ten fighters pound-for-pound in the world, but so is Frankie. This is an evenly matched fight, but Frankie should take this by decision. This match has fight of the year written all over it, and I sincerely hope it lives up to the hype.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Jose Aldo ruthlessly maims Edgar for two rounds before putting him to sleep in the third. Edgar is a damn good fighter, but Jose Aldo is Jose freaking Aldo. Lets face it, he's the best featherweight of all time, and the only man who I truly believe can take out Aldo is stuck in Bellator right now.
DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR
Firstly and just for the record, I f****** love this fight. This has all the ingredients to be an early "fight of the year" contender and I hope it lives up to my sky-high expectations. Edgar is an astonishing competitor and one of the toughest fighters in all of MMA. Those pesky record books will forever state that he lost to Benson Henderson in his last outing, but we all know deep down he didn't.
Chael Sonnen has (quite rightly) been vilified for getting an instant title shot in a new weight class; I haven't seen or heard anyone discrediting Edgar for getting the very same thing and that alone is testament to his standing in the sport. Sadly for Edgar, he's facing (in my humble opinion) the fourth best fighter on planet earth. Jose Aldo needed a challenge like this to solidify his reputation as one of the best and that's exactly what he's going to get.
Aldo will pepper Edgar with punches and leg kicks for five rounds and as always, Edgar will take the lot and keep coming back for more. If Edgar is to stand any chance of winning, he can't be too defensive, much like he was against Henderson. He has to take it to Aldo and be prepared to take a few risks. If he does, he has a chance, albeit a small one. I have Aldo winning this 50-45 after at least two near finishes during what should be an epic battle.
[Frankie Edgar art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
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