When Jose Aldo first faced Max Holloway, he was defending the featherweight title he had only recently regained in front of thousands of his countrymen in Rio de Janeiro.
And yet, it was Holloway who emerged with a third-round technical knockout victory at HSBC Arena at UFC 212 on June 3. After the defeat, Aldo coach Andre Pederneiras told MMAFighting.com that a leg injury suffered before the bout limited the Brazilian’s ability to throw kicks. In the story, the trainer also referenced an existing neck injury that prevented Aldo from taking fights on less than three months’ notice.