After nearly a year of hype, Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor will finally face off Saturday to determine an undisputed UFC featherweight champion.
The two were originally supposed to fight in July, but a rib injury forced Aldo to back out of UFC 189, with Chad Mendes taking his place on the card.
You could argue the injury was actually a net positive. By beating Mendes, McGregor added another impressive win to his resume, thus silencing some of the doubters who questioned his credentials when compared to Aldo.
Here's a look at the two fighters by the numbers:
| Aldo | McGregor | |
| Record (W-L) | 25-1-0 | 18-2-0 |
| Height | 5'7" | 5'9" |
| Weight | 145 lbs | 145 lbs |
| Reach | 70" | 74" |
| Significant Strike Accuracy | 43 percent | 44 percent |
| Significant Strike Defense | 72 percent | 64 percent |
| Takedown Accuracy | 72 percent | 83 percent |
| Takedown Defense | 91 percent | 66 percent |
| Submission Attempt Average (per 15 minutes) | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Source: FightMetric
McGregor and Aldo make for great aesthetic foils. It would be a tad simplistic to label the former an offensive fighter and the latter a defensive fighter. With that said, their respective strengths complement one another well.
McGregor is a flashy fighter who attacks his opponent almost right from the opening bell. He boasts incredible power and a seemingly limitless amount of injury. Sixteen of his 18 wins have come by knockout, and only one of his 20 fights went past the second round.
The essence of McGregor—the bravado, aggression and constant wave of offense—was on show in his victory over Dustin Poirier at UFC 178:
Aldo, on the other hand, is the more measured fighter. There are no wasted movements from the Brazilian in the Octagon as he displays a ruthless efficiency against his opponents. Aldo isn't averse to mixing it up, but he's at his best when he's dictating the pace of a fight and letting his opponent come to him.
His TKO of Chan Sung Jung at UFC 163 isn't his most exciting fight, but it is one of the better showcases for what kind of fighter he is:
Openly antagonizing your opponent can sometimes do more harm than good—see Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva—but to date, McGregor has more than backed up his constant boasts.
The Irish star wasn't shy about offering his prediction for Saturday's fight, per UFC:
"It will be wrapped up inside one" - @TheNotoriousMMA #UFC194 https://t.co/wpvPnDinJP
— UFC (@ufc) December 9, 2015
"I feel my fist will go through his head at 100 miles per hour and that will be that," McGregor said, per Jim Rome.
However, McGregor's mouth may prove his undoing against Aldo.
Even before this fight was officially announced, Aldo has had to deal with constant verbal barbs from McGregor in addition to McGregor's slightly more physical provocations, including his exiting of the Octagon and facing off with Aldo at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston last January. He also grabbed Aldo's featherweight title at a press conference ahead of UFC 189:
All the while, Aldo has been keeping track of McGregor's antics and storing them away. Bleacher Report's Jeremy Botter believes he's going to unleash all of that built-up anger this weekend:
Jose Aldo looks like he’s ready to deal death to a man
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) December 9, 2015
Ronda Rousey's loss to Holly Holm proved nothing is sacred in the Octagon. All it takes is one punch to change the course of a fight.
Aldo is the more well-rounded fighter, but McGregor only needs to land one major strike and the unified featherweight title is his.
While it's unfortunate fans have had to wait so long to see Aldo and McGregor go head-to-head, the wait will be more than worth it once the opening bell rings at UFC 194.
