“I changed, tried to mix a bit and train like I used to before. A lot of striking and grappling… I tried to mix those things. I stopped and looked back at what brought me to the top as a champion, so I decided to do exactly that. Be more aggressive and show that I really want to win the fight… [I want] to get my belt back. I only think about it. I want my belt back. That’s my biggest motivation. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, Frankie or whoever. What motivates me is to win the belt.”
-During a media conference call for International Fight Week, Jose Aldo vowed to be more aggressive after losing his UFC Featherweight Champion in order to get back to the top (translated by Guilherme Cruz at MMAFighting.com).
Penick’s Analysis: It can be argued that Aldo being over-aggressive at UFC 194 led to him losing that belt, but there was certainly a complacency in some of his more recent title defenses simply because he was so much better than everyone else. His best fights came when he was pushed to his limits by challenging opponents, forcing him to bring everything into the cage. Edgar may well do that at UFC 200, but if Aldo’s loss to McGregor sets him on any downward trend, aggressiveness may not be enough.
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