Aldo supplies the material for this edition of The Film Room.
Aldo takes on a muay Thai striking style that he has adapted for use in MMA. On the lead, he is an aggressive and sometimes reckless striker who is willing to push forward and force exchanges in the pocket, even if it means taking some damage. He does not use many feints to set up his attacks, but his quick hands and ability to mix up his attack from head to toe is what had him heralded as one of the best strikers in the sport. He does have some major holes while leading, mainly his tendency to cross his feet and overextend on strikes. However, only two men have managed to exploit this.
Aldo’s leading attacks garner all the attention, but his best work is done on the counter. When his opponent comes forward, Aldo is a master at pivoting off of his lead foot at a 90-degree angle -- a maneuver that leaves his opponent whizzing past him or stopping in his tracks, unable to defend attacks from Aldo’s now-dominant angle. Aldo’s pivot counter is his bread and butter, but he also employs more classical methods, like retreating and intercepting counters. Retreating counters work best when a fighter moves his head off the centerline or takes a slight step laterally to give himself a better opening and avoid any counters coming back. If you attack Aldo on a straight line, he will either pivot and send you flying past him or take a step back and look for his counter right. Either way, coming forward on a straight line against Aldo will get you nowhere. Just ask Frankie Edgar.
Aldo has the best pivot in MMA history, but it still does not get the credit it deserves, especially since the casual fan does not realize its effects. The pivot can set up counters, but it can also set up leading attacks when the opponent is slow to turn. It also allows him to defend takedowns and avoid oncoming attacks. This, along with incredible head movement that allows him to slip punches in the pocket, makes Aldo one of the best up-close strikers in MMA.
Aldo grew up playing soccer and wanted to become a professional soccer player before transitioning to MMA, and it is evident in his kicks. The speed and power behind them are second to none, and his soccer background is what helped him become the most feared leg kicker in the sport. He is also a master at using his hands to set up his kicks, as he starts and ends the majority of his combinations with leg kicks. Oddly, he seems to have abandoned these kicks in recent years, but they remain one of his most valuable weapons.
Aldo is obviously known more for his striking, but what allowed him to dominate the featherweight division for a decade straight is his takedown defense. To date, Aldo has defended an astounding 91 percent of his opponents’ takedown attempts. The pivot helps with defending them, but he is also adept at sprawling his hips away from opponents and breaking the grip if they grab hold of him.
Some will say Max Holloway was the first person to exploit the holes in Aldo’s striking, but the deficiencies have always been there; and he struggles with things a lot of Nova Uniao fighters -- mainly Renan Barao -- have had problems with in the past. If we look at T.J. Dillashaw’s performances against Barao, there are a lot of similarities in Holloway’s performances against Aldo. Both Aldo and Barao struggle with somebody who is willing to stay in their face and mix in attacks to the head and body while switching between stances. Volkanovski may not be able to exploit these holes in his defense, but the game plan to beat Aldo is out there and smart fighters will take note of Holloway’s performances and attempt to emulate them.