Following WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo’s dominant victory over Urijah Faber on Saturday, UFC President Dana White suggested that the ultra talented Brazilian could become a three-division titleholder.
Before he ventures down to 135 pounds, up to 155 and over to the UFC, though, Aldo says he wants to defend his 145-pound WEC belt.
“At the moment I am still not thinking about it,” Aldo told Sherdog.com on the subject of fighting in multiple divisions. “First I have to train and defend the title a few times in my division.”
White even said that he’d heard Aldo would like to fight in the UFC, perhaps against someone like B.J. Penn.
“It is a plan for the future, but not now, just for a distant future,” Aldo said of the UFC. “I intend to fight in the UFC, absolutely. I do not believe in fighting against B.J. or anyone else (right now). Before I get there, I have to do some fights to adapt to the weight, and then I'll just see what happens.”
Aldo is 7-0 in the WEC and 17-1 overall. He is Sherdog.com’s No. 5-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Although he didn’t finish Faber on Saturday, he couldn’t have been much more dominant. He attributes the victory to his strategy: exploit Faber’s weakness of defending leg kicks.
“The strategy that my coach (Andre Pederneiras) drew up was perfect,” Aldo said. “I went in there to try to block the punches, and (use) my kicks when I had the opportunity. Thank God the strikes worked and my timing was right. Everything happened the way we planned.”
The kicks badly hobbled Faber. Yet the former 145-pound champion survived until the final bell, leaving Aldo impressed.
“Faber showed everybody that he is a warrior,” Aldo said. “He even told me later that he considered quitting a couple of times during the fight, but he was fighting at home, with the crowded arena. He is a great fighter.”
Aldo Wants to Fight in UFC, But Not Yet
