There are myriad qualities that make Jose Aldo such a special fighter. I encourage readers to list what they believe sets him apart in the comments. I'll get to what really stands out for me in a moment, but AOL Fanhouse's Mike Chiappetta does a nice job of recounting what happened yesterday evening:

Aldo (16-1) is a singular talent in a world of overachievers. Armed with fast-twitch muscle that makes his standup a thing of destructive beauty, a seasoned ground game, surprisingly effective takedown defense and an even fight temperament, the WEC featherweight phenom laid a beating on defending champion Mike Brown, seizing the belt and starting a reign that has every possibility of lasting for years.

In Brown (22-5), the dynamic Brazilian was facing an opponent who was riding a 10-fight win streak. In theory, Brown was supposed to be the kind of fighter who would be Aldo's kryptonite, a rugged wrestler who can take a punch and is able to put nearly everyone on the ground with his tenaciousness. How do you cancel out a puncher's power? Put him on his back.

In practice, it wasn't much of a contest. Aldo was decidedly faster than Brown, getting to his spots quicker, getting in and out with a landed punch or kick before Brown had a chance to respond. He stuffed takedown tries. He outmaneuvered Brown on the ground. It wasn't so much an indictment on Brown as it was a celebration of Aldo, who has authored an early career highlight to rival the greats of MMA history at a similar stage.

Emphasis mine.

Mike's list takes a nice abstract view of things, but I'd like to home in on something more particular that has really stood out: Aldo's reflexive decision-making skills.

In my estimation, what makes Aldo such a terror isn't just his athleticism, speed and well-roundedness (although they are obviously hugely important). Instead, it is his uncanny sharp, snap judgments made when reacting to attacking or moving opponents.

This ability is facilitated by his fast-twitch muscles and athleticism, let there be no doubt. But simply suggesting Aldo throws quick, accurate combinations doesn't properly convey what's happening. He doesn't move forward and duel with opponents. As opponents press forward, throw strikes, lean forward or to the side or just adjust laterally, Aldo is able to read their movements with Matrix-like speed and accuracy. As he is measuring them, he makes lightning fast counterstriking decisions. Not rehearsed or mechanical counterstriking, but improvisational. He reads the moment and reacts. That ability is something he's honed through practice, but is more likely what makes him such a natural at the game. Worse, when his strikes land it's often to devastating effect thereby depriving his opponents of any chance to recover. Most fighters are forced to wade through several series of exchanges to gauge the timing, habits or important eccentricities of their opposition. Not Aldo. He is able to make rapid fire adjustments and decisions, act upon them with ferocity and follow up on damaged or bewildered opponents before they can even defensively cover up. Aldo isn't just winning quickdraw contests; he is fast, yes, but he's actually winning them by being the superior speed chess player. It is his snap judgments made by possible by his athleticism that make him so unique.

Aldo is more than athletic reflexivity. He's an excellent scrambler, hard puncher and well-conditioned athlete. But his ability to play speed chess with dynamite strikes is going to be problematic for featherweights in the WEC. In the blink of an eye, he's attacking openings that are barely there and collapsing the pocket before his opponents even have a chance to react.

Get the highlight reels ready. There's about to be plenty of material.

Photo by Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com.

View full size photo »

As with every major show, BloodyElbow.com will be here to bring you live results and commentary for WEC 44: Mike Brown v. Jose Aldo.  The live blog will start with the beginning of the Versus broadcast (at 9PM ET) so make sure to make Bloody Elbow your home for this event.

As always we have our one rule: NO SPOILERS! In the interest of not ruining anything from the undercard that may make the broadcast we ask that you do not discuss the results of the undercard in the comments until either the broadcast ends or the fight makes the air.

So again, join us for the show and share your thoughts as the event unfolds.

The Versus broadcast is live.  First fight up shortly...

Kamal Shalorus v. Will Kerr - Round 1 -Low kick from Shalorus and then a punch that drops Kerr.  Kerr tries for a kneebar and can't get it but it allows him to get back to standing.  Shalorus is pouring it on standing and after rocking Kerr several times and opening a cut Kamal land an overhand right that shuts Kerr down.  Kamal Shalorus wins by TKO (punches), round 1.

Danny Castillo vs. Shane Roller - Round 1 - Castillo jabbing from the outside and has Roller going backward.  Nice body shot from Castillo.  Both guys missing with big punches now. Castillo drops for a takedown and can't get it.  The two men work against the cage and separate after a stalemate.  Takedown by Castillo and he can't hold him down.  Left hook hits air for Roller.  Scramble on a takedown attempt and Roller almost gets a guillotine but Danny is able to stand up.  Now they go back to the ground after a knee from Shane and Castillo is on top.  Elbows by Castillo from the top position.  Roller working for submissions from the bottom but is still eating elbows.  The round ends and Castillo cemented it with the top work at the end 10-9.  Round 2- Castillo charges forward landing shots and now gets the takedown.  As they get back to the feet again Roller is trying to land the knee as Castillo shoots.  Another knee lands for Roller.  Now against the fence Roller is able to get the takedown.  From side control Roller steps over to get the guillotine.  Castillo gives up his back and eats some shots.  Roller landing a lot of shots but Castillo is able to stand up.  Roller turtles and eats some big shots.  They're back to standing and Roller is looking tired.  10-9 for Roller to even it up on my card.  Round 3 - Big body shot early by Castillo.  Roller shoots and Castillo sprawls beautifully and ends up on top.  Roller goes to stand up and Castillo just stops himself from throwing an illegal knee.  Castillo is on top still landing shots as Roller works to try and find a submission.  Castillo passes to mount now.  Roller is able to escape and eats another punch.  Castillo shoots and Roller turns it into a takedown of his own and has the back.  Roller slides the forearm in and gets the tap on a rear naked choke.  Great comeback.  Shane Roller wins by submission (rear naked choke), round 3.

Rob McCullough vs. Karen Darabedyan - Round 1 - They trade early.  Darabedyan with a leg kick and one in return from McCullough.  Big hook from Darabedyan.  Both guys land a series of punches with Darabedyan getting the better of it.  Darabedyan landing hooks while McCullough is working the leg kicks.  Nice combo from Rob now.  Punch followed by a nice body kick by Rob.  Left hand lands for Darabedyan and he has cut McCullough.  Karen counters the low kick with a double jab.  Again the double jab by Darabedyan.  Now a series of shots to Rob's head.  The round ends and it was a 10-9 round for Darabedyan on my card.  Round 2 - Darabedyan still landing jabs.  Now he catches a kick by Rob and gets the takedown.  Darabedyan landing big shots to the head and the body.  Good elbows by Karen and in a scramble Rob is able to get back to his feet.  Darabedyan lands the jab as McCullough lands the kick.  Both fighters are cut at this point.  Rob lands a jab of his own.  Left hand lands as a counter to the kick for Darabedyan.  Left hand for Darabedyan.  Pretty even second half of the round but Karen won it 10-9 on my card with the takedown and work on the ground.  Round 3 - Solid leg kick from McCullough.  Karen tries a takedown off of a punch but Rob sprawls out of it.  Both guys working slower this round.  Leg kick counter that time by Darabedyan.  Not a whole lot of telling shots this round.  Left hook from Karen.  The right ends and Rob took the third round 10-9 on my card to give Karen the fight 29-28.  Official Scorecards: 30-27 Darabedyan, 30-27 McCullough, 29-28 Darabedyan.  Karen Darabedyan wins by split decision.

Leonard Garcia vs. Manny Gamburyan - Round 1 - Uppercut by Garcia as Gamburyan shoots in.  Gamburyan can't get the takedown and they're back to distance.  Garcia misses with a one-two combo.  The threat of strikes is keeping Manny from getting close.  Manny lands two low knees in the clinch and Herb Dean stops them to give Garcia time to recover.  Manny closes in after a punch now and goes for the takedown.  Manny working hard for the takedown and can't finish it.  They separate after some work against the cage.  Head kick by Garcia.  Garcia lands a kick as Manny shoots and the round ends.  Close but 10-9 Garcia on my card.  Round 2- Manny falls after missing a hook.  Garcia just misses with a hook.  Shot by Manny now and Garcia does a nice job of not being taken down but does eat some punches.  Gamburyan slips again after a punch but uses it to get a takedown.  Manny throwing some elbows from in the guard.  Manny passes to half guard and continues to land punches.  Manny looks for the kimura and Garcia uses it to stand up.  knees to the leg by Gamburyan and another takedown.  The round ends and it was 10-9 Gamburyan to even the fight up on my card.  Round 3 - Both guys land punches to start the round.  Right hand counter to the kick for Manny.  Manny lands a few shots and Garcia tells him to keep coming and lets him land a shot...so Manny does.  Takedown by Manny now.  He does some work and as Garcia stands he charges him into the cage for another takedown attempt.  Garcia just can't get away now.  Takedown by Manny and Leonard stands right back up.  Manny is relentless looking for the takedown against the fence.  Finally he is able to get it and the round ends.  10-9 Manny again to make it 29-28 Gamburyan on my card.  Official Scorecards: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Gamburyan.  Manny Gamburyan wins by unanimous decision.

Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo- Round 1 - Brown jabbing early.  They exchange big shots with Brown getting the best of it with an overhand right.  Big leg kick by Aldo.  Kick followed by a knee that was blocked for Aldo.  Big uppercut misses for Aldo.  Head kick blocked by Brown.   Leg kick for brown and a body shot.  Body kick by aldo.  He lands a punch, a kick and a knee and Brown is bothered by the power.  Brown grabs on looking for a takedown but Aldo is defending well.  Brown keeps driving for the takedown but Aldo is doing a great job of staying up.  Brown working knees to the leg up against the cage and Aldo is able to separate finally.  Kick to the body by Aldo.  Leg kick by Aldo. The round ends.  10-9 Aldo on the BE scorecard.  Round 2 - Brown pushing forward early and eats a leg kick and a body shot and now flurries with Brown's back to the cage.  Brown drops down for a takedown and can't get it.  Brown looked to grab a guillotine and fell backward so Aldo pounced.  Aldo to mount and now gives up his back.  Aldo is pouring it on and the fight is over.  Jose Aldo wins by TKO (strikes), round 2.  Jose Aldo is the WEC Featherweight Champion.

A sturdy, strong and most importantly, technically fundamental Brown could do serious damage following a similar gameplan to Azevedo.

Unless, of course, Aldo has improved. And he has.

All fighters make weight:

Main Bouts:
- Mike Brown (22-4) 145 vs. Jose Aldo (15-1) 145
- Leonard Garcia (13-4) 146 vs. Manny Gamburyan (9-4) 146
- Rob McCullough (17-5) 155 vs. Karen Darabedyan (8-1) 156 
- Danny Castillo (8-1) 156 vs. Shane Roller (6-2) 156 

Preliminary Bouts:
- Will Kerr (8-1) 155 vs. Kamal Shalorus (4-0-1) 156 
- L.C. Davis (14-2) 146 vs. Diego Nunes (13-0) 146
- John Franchi (5-1) 145 vs. Cub Swanson (13-3) 146
- Antonio Banuelos (16-5) 136 vs. Kenji Osawa (15-8-2) 136
- Ricardo Lamas (6-1) 155 vs. James Krause (10-1) 156 
- Frank Gomez (7-1) 136 vs. Seth Dikun (7-3) 136

Make sure to make BloodyElbow.com your home tomorrow night for live play-by-play, commentary and discussion of WEC 44 beginning at 9 PM EST.

Continue reading this post »

Continuing a November of mixed martial arts action that fans will surely remember, WEC 44 will take place on Wednesday, November 18th from The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada and feature a featherweight title bout between the current champion and powerful wrestler Mike Brown and explosive Nova Uniao-product Jose Aldo. The main card will also feature two former UFC lightweights in Leonard Garcia and Manny Gamburyan battling it out while Danny Castillo and Shane Roller will fight for a possible title implications. Former lightweight champion Rob McCullough is also slated to appear on the card.

This card has slipped under the radar of most mixed martial arts fans due to the extraordinary amount of MMA action we've been able to view in the last few weeks. Fortunately for those of us who will be able to tune in for WEC 44, we might be in store for one of the best match-ups of the month, a bout that hasn't received the talk it deserves.

Mike Brown (22-4, 3-0 WEC) is a product of the highly-touted American Top Team camp in Coconut Creek, Florida. While Brown doesn't have the wrestling background of a Josh Koscheck, he was a state champion in Maine and also wrestled collegiately at Norwich University, a private military college in Vermont. From those roots, Brown gained his mixed martial arts base of strength and wrestling, but he's managed to add a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt to his skill-set coupled with devastating striking power that abruptly ended Urijah Faber's night at WEC 36 and put Leonard Garcia into a daze at WEC 39.

Brown's opponent, Jose Aldo (15-1, 4-0 WEC), is also a product of a highly-touted camp in Nova Uniao, the same camp that trained B.J. Penn on the fine arts of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has produced high caliber MMA athletes such as Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Wagnney Fabiano, Leonardo Santos, Thales Leites, and Marlon Sandro. Currently a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Aldo prefers to use his explosive striking to do the talking instead of a technical grappling game. He devastated WEC veteran Cub Swanson in 0:08 seconds at WEC 41 with a flying knee, and he demolished both Chris Mickle and Ronaldo Perez in previous stints in the promotion.

Stylistically, both men are similar in that they both have immense power in their hands. Aldo is visibly the quicker striker as he's exhibited blazing fast speed in his delivery, but Brown might have the ultimate countering ability by having the wrestling experience coupled with his strength to muscle Aldo to the floor. We haven't seen a lot of what Aldo has to offer on the ground, but we do know that Brown has the ability to smother opponents while also maintaining a good pace over five rounds.

While the hype surrounding Aldo is incredible due to his highlight reel wins, Brown's wrestling ability and strength will present a formidable challenge. Brown will also benefit from a size advantage come fight time as he is one of the biggest featherweights in terms of muscle and bulk come fight time in the world. Aldo has the opportunity to knockout Brown though, but I see this as a later round TKO victory for Mike Brown.

Continue reading this post »

I, too, want to see more of the relatively unknown ground game of Aldo. Good thing Brown plans to test it (mp3).

View full size photo »

From Kevin Iole's mailbag:

Brown and Aldo will meet for Brown’s World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title in what legitimately figures to be one of the finest matches of 2009 on Nov. 18 at the Palms in Las Vegas.

That will put it three days before UFC 106, in which Lesnar was scheduled to defend his title against Shane Carwin in the main event. With Lesnar forced to withdraw because of mononucleosis, Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin were bumped to the UFC main event. However, the move also affords Brown and Aldo to escape Lesnar’s considerable shadow.

...

WEC general manager Reed Harris said more conflicts with the UFC are inevitable in 2010. He said choosing a date is a tricky process that involves working with Versus, which broadcasts WEC cards, as well as venues.

Here's Reed Harris talking to Heavy.com:

When we decided to focus on the lighter weights we knew we had our work cut out for us. But if you look at boxing for example, it took many yeas, but now the lightweight guys are the guys everybody is interested in. If you look at the time frame, I only started really focusing on the light weights about eight months ago. Now look where we are at. Everyone in the MMA industry says the best lightweights in the world fight for WEC. I get calls from across the world, from Japan, from Korea, from Brazil, with coaches saying 'I've got lightweight fighters we want to bring into the WEC, because these guys want to fight the best.' It used to be the other way around. We used to have to chase after them.

I think in the next year you're going to see a lot of things happening in the WEC. We've got a new deal with Versus. We're going to go to the PPV model. We're going to possibly go to Mexico and Canada and expand internationally. We're going to do more shows. I'm looking forward to next year. You're going to see alot of things happen with the WEC and I think that we are starting to step out of the shadow of the UFC. They are our parent company and they cast a big shadow. I think going to the lighter fighters, which was something Dana (White) wanted us to do and, by the way, I didn't want to do. Now I look back and I'm really glad we did that.

It's often been said here and elsewhere online that the UFC and the WEC should merge. That would allow WEC champs like Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres Mike Brown and Brian Bowles to beef up UFC cards in desperate need of top tier fights. It would also dramatically increase the pay for the top fighters in the smaller divisions.

But the reality is that Zuffa signed a deal with Versus that insists on a strong branding separation between UFC and WEC. And Spike TV is very mindful of their prerogatives. They're not going to let anything that can be perceived as a UFC fight to air on the Versus network.

With Versus' declining reach, that deal is looking less attractive by the day. It served its purpose to box out competitors from getting significant cable coverage but now Zuffa is paying the price.

SBN coverage of WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo

Yes, it's true: I actually have a show today. Fortune smiles upon me again.

Today on "MMA Nation" we'll be joined by WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown. We'll talk to him about what his ATT-teammate Antonio Silva needs to do to win tonight, his upcoming fight at WEC 44 with Jose Aldo and much more.

We'll also be joined in studio by ADCC bronze medalist Ryan Hall and Seph Smith, the proprietors of 50/Fifty BJJ in Arlington, Virginia. We'll talk to Hall about his ADCC experience, give away a membership on air and ask both Hall and Smith to help break down tonight's Strikeforce fights.

Jordan Breen will be calling in to talk Strikeforce as well.

And, of course, lots of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers talk along will all of your calls.

"MMA Nation" airs every Saturday 7:00pm EST to 9:00pm EST on 106.7 The Fan. To listen live over the Internet, go to The Fan's website and click "Listen Live".

I'm also now on Twitter: @mmanation.

"MMA Nation" is also available by podcast on iTunes.

Number to call: 800-636-1067

Email here.

Talk to you then.

View full size photo »

It depends on what criteria one uses to define "best" (I lean towards some admixture of relevancy, skills used and displayed, grit required to persevere, the amount of action and competitiveness), but Josh Gross lines up the contenders:

In no particular order:

• Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers (Strikeforce, Nov. 7 on CBS) -- Whenever Fedor fights, it's an event. His first effort in a cage makes this one in particular unique. If Rogers can muster any kind of effort, this could be a bout remembered for quite some time.

• Jake Shields vs. Jason Miller (Strikeforce, Nov. 7 on CBS) -- Battling for the Strikeforce middleweight title, Shields vs. Miller should manifest into a ground war, with submission attempts aplenty.

• Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy (UFC 105, Nov. 14 on SpikeTV) -- Billed as a No. 1-contender fight in the UFC welterweight division, this bout is compelling on those stakes alone, perhaps even more so than Randy Couture's return to light heavyweight against Brandon Vera.

• Mike Thomas Brown vs. Jose Aldo (WEC 44, Nov. 18 on Versus) -- Vying for the WEC 145-pound championship, Brown and Aldo meet in a clash of styles. Featherweight has consistently pumped out great action, and this one shouldn't be any different. If I'm forced to pick just one fight to watch in November, this is probably it.

• Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin 2 (UFC 106, Nov. 21 on PPV) -- This spot was reserved for Lesnar-Carwin, and the card has certainly taken a hit with its loss. Still, while several bouts from UFC 106 -- Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan, Josh Koscheck vs. Anthony Johnson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luiz Cane -- should be exciting, the Ortiz-Griffin rematch demands attention for the storylines surrounding both fighters.

Based on my critieria, I'm leaning towards Aldo vs. Brown. I couldn't possibly care less about Swick vs. Hardy. Ortiz vs. Griffin could steal the show, but questions remain about Tito coming off of back surgery. Shields vs. Miller should be good, but hardly a barn burner. Fedor vs. Rogers carries import, but no matter how it ends I don't see it as being particularly competitive. Hazelett  vs. Karo is a contender, but doesn't carry enough relevancy. Ditto for Lil' Nog vs. Cane. And Koscheck vs. Johnson could be good, but that's about the best one can say relative to these other fights.

It's also fair to say the MMA community is being spoiled this month and it's awfully fun to act like a brat.

Despite speculation that he could head down in weight to avoid a collision with fellow Nova Uniao featherweight Wagnney Fabiano, Jose Aldo (15-1) will challenge Mike Thomas Brown (22-4) for the WEC 145-pound strap on November 11 at WEC 45. The Brazilian confirmed the news to intheguard.tv on Tuesday and said bout agreements were signed on Monday; the location of the show is not yet determined.

Since entering the WEC with a shocking upset of featherweight legend "Pequeno" Nogueria last June, Aldo has racked up four more wins by TKO, each more impressive than the last. His most recent fight - an 8-second demolition of the very tough Cub Swanson - earned him "Knockout of the Night" honors and made him the clear-cut #1 contender to Brown's title.