UFC 251: Yan vs Aldo betting picks & predictions

UFC 251 fight preview: Petr Yan vs Jose Aldo

The first of three championship fights on the UFC 251 card this weekend in Abu Dhabi comes between hot young up-and-comer Petr Yan (14-1) and seasoned veteran Jose Aldo (28-6). With Henry Cejudo’s retirement leaving the UFC Bantamweight Championship up for grabs, the winner of this bout will leave Fight Island with the gold.

Yan looked like he was toying with Urijah Faber in the first two rounds of their fight at UFC 245 before he eventually turned up the intensity and knocked Faber out with a head kick early in the third round. With the win, the Russian improved to 9-0 over his last nine fights and a perfect 6-0 in the UFC. After a title fight with Cejudo never crystallized, Yan finally gets his title shot this Saturday.

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Aldo has lost each of his last two fights and is just 3-5 over his last eight fights overall. It may seem tempting to write him off as washed up looking at the record alone, but consider that four of those five losses came against three of the all-time great featherweights: Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, and Alexander Volkanovski. The Brazilian veteran’s most recent loss in his bantamweight debut against Marlon Moraes at UFC 245 was a game effort against a solid contender in the division, resulting in a split decision.

Aldo is no longer the fighter that won 18 straight bouts with nine successful title defenses from 2006 through 2014, but nor is he as bad as his record of late would suggest. This fight figures to be a lot more competitive than many pundits seem to think it will be, even if the only reason Aldo is in this contest after two losses is his name brand.

But with all of that said, Aldo’s brutal run of tough opponents only continues here. Yan hasn’t faced a boxer or counter-attacker as good as Aldo yet, but there is nothing in what we’ve seen thus far to suggest he isn’t equipped to handle Jose’s skill set. The path to an upset for Aldo likely includes a very well-timed counter punch or leg kick to turn the tides, but we aren’t going against the kid. Look for a knockout in the championship rounds.