Sherdog’s 2021 Comeback Fighter of the Year

The saying “don’t bet against greatness” does not always apply to MMA. The sport is evolving so quickly and is so intrinsically cruel that we often seen great, once-unbeatable champions go on losing streaks where they are viciously beaten down time and again. This is especially true in the lower weight classes, which have the highest level of skill and where even small decreases in speed and reaction time spell doom, resulting in much shorter shelf lives. Just look at the tireless and formerly ageless Frankie Edgar, who is a questionable split decision shy of losing five fights in a row, or Cody Garbrandt, who has lost five of his last six bouts and appears washed-up at age 30.

Jose Aldo seemed destined to join those ranks. At 34 years old entering 2021, he had been a professional fighter for half his life, gone through a slew of wars while sustaining horrific beatings in recent years and had moved down to the faster bantamweight division in December 2019, so one could be forgiven for believing the only question was how much more he would decline. Certainly, he would not defeat sensational strikers like Pedro Munhoz or Rob Font, who, while around the same age as Aldo, had far less mileage on their bodies and were natural bantamweights.

It is fitting that I was assigned to write this article, since each time Aldo competed this year, I doubted him as much as anyone, and on both occasions, the Brazilian fighting god made me look like a complete fool. When Aldo fought Munhoz at UFC 265, having just turned 35, I was surprised that “The Young Punisher” was even money, as I thought he would have an advantage over former champion.

On Sherdog’s UFC 265 preview show, I not only picked Munhoz but thought he was one of the best bets on the card. Munhoz is arguably the most purely powerful puncher at 135 pounds, has an iron chin and is an absolute terror to face without the benefit of a wrestling advantage. Since I did not envision Aldo taking him down and both he and Munhoz had similar boxing styles, Munhoz’s tougher chin and slightly better cardio would win out, according to my reasoning. A majority of gamblers agreed with me, as Munhoz opened as a slight underdog but closed as even money.

The fight happened, and Aldo won. That in itself was not too extraordinary. Rather, it was the how. See, Aldo did not win a dubious, controversial split decision over Munhoz like Frankie Edgar did, nor did he win by the skin of his teeth like Dominick Cruz did later in 2021. Aldo dominated Munhoz, battering him from pillar to post and toying with the elite bantamweight in a manner we have not seen anyone do since Munhoz’s fight against current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Even that does not fully do it justice, as Sterling relied greatly on his grappling and avoided going toe-to-toe with the Brazilian striker. No one had ever beaten Munhoz this badly in a purely striking affair. Aldo looked utterly amazing, showcasing the most technical, accurate and intelligent boxing of his career. Rightly recognizing that Munhoz’s iron chin would not be cracked, he targeted a different area: the body. He shattered everyone’s expectations that night.

Despite this, Aldo was still an underdog for his next fight against Font. As luck would have it, I was doing a preview show for this one, as well, and while fully acknowledging that Aldo made me look dumb with my Munhoz prediction, I still picked Font. This was no slight against Aldo; it was just that Font is so good. While he lacks Munhoz’s power, he is faster and even more technical. Most importantly, he is much harder to hit, which was always Munhoz’s major flaw in the standup. Without the same opportunities to land his big strikes and kept at bay by Font’s speed, combinations and arguably the single best jab in all of MMA, I just did not see how Aldo could triumph. Font had put on a masterclass in defeating Garbrandt in his last outing in exactly this manner, depriving the lightning-fast knockout artist of his usual targets.

For the first four minutes of the contest, I appeared to be right. Font overwhelmed Aldo with fast, beautiful combinations, while skillfully avoiding the counters. Aldo was a step too slow, looking very much like an aging fighter who had dropped down to a faster weight class, all while eating damage to his head and body. No one would have blamed Aldo if he had gone on to lose here. Even a very tough, very great fighter could have folded or failed at this point. His status as perhaps the greatest mixed martial artist ever would not have been tarnished, either. However, Aldo is not satisfied with mere greatness, and his fighting spirit and intelligence is downright inhuman.

Out of nowhere, with 11 seconds left in Round 1, Aldo threw a perfect one-two, stunning Font with a monster right cross and hurting him badly. While this might have been a solitary burst Font would overcome in later rounds, it was only the beginning, as Aldo had gotten the timing and rhythm down of his faster opponent. As with Munhoz, Aldo proceeded to not only win but utterly dominate Font over the next 20 minutes. However, this performance was even more impressive, as Aldo displayed all his martial arts abilities. He brought back the bone-snapping leg kicks. He used his wrestling to take down Font when he least expected it. He showed off his outstanding Brazilian jiu-jitsu from the top in maintaining and advancing position and hunting for submissions. At 35 years old, Aldo was showing off everything he had learned in a lifetime of fighting—every skill, every technique and every bit of intelligence. Aldo proved that, for him, there truly are no limits. He makes other legends with indomitable heart and will look ordinary by comparison.

For not only defeating two elite contenders, one as even money and another as an underdog, but thrashing and exposing them in a manner we have never seen before, Aldo was the clear choice for Sherdog’s 2021 “Comeback Fighter of the Year.” As 2022 looms, I would love to see him get another crack at the bantamweight title—an inconceivable thought a year ago.