Dantas: Aldo is bad matchup for ‘clumsy’ Sterling – ‘He can’t punch or kick well’

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas has faith in teammate Jose Aldo’s skills against the current UFC champ, Aljamain Sterling. Considering both men’s track…

By: Lucas Rezende | 1 year ago
Dantas: Aldo is bad matchup for ‘clumsy’ Sterling – ‘He can’t punch or kick well’
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas has faith in teammate Jose Aldo’s skills against the current UFC champ, Aljamain Sterling. Considering both men’s track record, ‘Dudu’ is certain the matchup would favor his fellow countryman, if it ever happens.

In an interview with Ag Fight, Dantas explained the reason why he thinks Aldo could dethrone the ‘Funkmaster’ with ease. In Eduardo’s opinion, Jose’s skills are just too much for Sterling to handle, especially in the striking department.

“If they were to put Aldo to fight for the belt now, it would be really bad news for Sterling. Sterling couldn’t take down Aldo with that terrible skill set of his. He’s a very dedicated champion, with a huge heart, but his game is not solid. He’s clumsy. He can’t punch or kick well. He’s not a finisher. He has a deep gas tank and a lot of willpower, but I don’t think he’s going to last very long as the champion. I think that Aldo takes the belt from Sterling, if they fought. I think Sterling would get beat up.”

“Junior (Aldo) throws lots of leg kicks and he’s not afraid of getting taken down.” Dantas said. “He plants his feet more now. He has been moving more, but he is more planted, too. He walks forward. It would be a great fight, where Junior would pick him apart. He would frustrate Sterling. Aldo is a patient guy, he gets into his opponent’s minds. Round by round, until he can land a punch and win by knockout.”

Currently on a two-fight winning streak, Dantas (23-7) defeated Michel Costa and Jose Alday on the regional circuit. The 33-year-old left Bellator after getting knocked out by Juan Archuleta back in June 2019, but has recently been picked up by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC. Dudu has no opponents lined up for his debut in the new promotion yet. Aldo (31-7) is coming off a big win over Rob Font in December.

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About the author
Lucas Rezende
Lucas Rezende

Lucas Rezende is a Brazilian journalist and writer from Belem, Para. He has been covering MMA since 2012 and contributing with Bloody Elbow since March 2015. When not writing, Lucas also teaches English. In his free time, he enjoys reading, slapping the bass guitar and traveling.

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