Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight champion Jose Aldo defended his 145-pound title with a five-round unanimous decision victory over Ricardo Lamas at the UFC 169 pay-per-view (PPV) event last Saturday night (Feb. 1, 2014) inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The "Bully" beatdown marked "Junior's" seventeenth straight win.
With Aldo quickly running out of challengers in his own division, UFC President Dana White was quick to rubber stamp a trip up to 155 pounds, where the Brazilian would vacate his title and challenge reigning champion Anthony Pettis for the lightweight strap.
Unfortunately, not everyone is on board with that course of action, including Aldo's longtime Nova Uniao coach, Andre Pederneiras, who told told Ta na Area (via MMA Fighting) that perhaps a 150-pound catchweight bout will better serve the promotion.
His words:
"(A catchweight) would be interesting for both, they would keep the belts and do the fight everybody wants to see. Nobody wants to take the other's title, we want to see the fight and do a great show for everybody. Aldo would move up a little, Pettis cuts a little, and it's good for everybody... I always say that the next fight is always the toughest. It's going to be just like another fight. I think that Aldo has all the weapons to beat Pettis. I don't see many advantages for Pettis in this match-up."
Another "super fight" stalled by a disagreement on weight? Go figure!
This might be a ploy to get Pettis to move down rather than have Aldo move up, since "Showtime" was already on board for a weight cut for UFC 163. Unfortunately, the flashy lightweight striker suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw.
Not coincidentally, he's back on the sidelines after knee surgery and waiting for a new opponent.
Will it be Aldo? Despite the "drama" that surrounds the 155-pound title picture, there are a few contenders nipping at the champ's heels, including Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rafael dos Anjos, who hook 'em up at UFC 170 later this month in Las Vegas.
So ... where do we go from here?