Jose Aldo's smart defensive techniques vs calf kicks

[2004 account]

Dude isnt a veteran genius for nothing, here, just watch jack black's breakdown of Aldo's high iq defense. Calf kicks wouldnt be so effective if people would adopt this type of defense. José Aldo has shown more improvement than Conor McGregor in this regard.

 

[Deleted member 110072]

I mean really the answer is "he's a good technical kickboxer" rather than some easy tactic others can pickup on.

 

[FIghtxIQ]

It's cause Aldo comes from a muay thai base. He already has leg kick timing dialed in. You don't lift your knee up to check leg kicks, you turn your knee out to check leg kicks. You aim your knee at their shin. People that lift their legs up to check and raise the knee are not checking kicks correctly. He does sweep his leg out more though for the calf kick, but he still has his knee pointed outwards in case it's a regular thigh kick. So it will either miss his calf or he will check the kick. So he has both kicks covered.

You would still need leg kick timing/understanding in order to pull this off. So even if people see this and know what Aldo does, they may not be able to replicate it in fight. Would still need the balance and dexterity in order to hinge your leg at that angle. Most don't come from muay thai base so they will lack the timing/balance/speed that comes from leg kicks and leg kick defense.

 

[NGute87]

Aldo is a monster. I was so skeptical of him moving down. I feel like he's lost some power and isn't the same, but he is still changing fight to fight, and I think he's gonna fight Yan again.
What a fighter.

 

[DatSamboKid]

Calves kicks became effective when MMA fighters started forgetting their Muay Thai roots. McGregor started an era of "Boxing/Karate" type strikers in MMA. Back in 2014, everyone started widening their stance, going southpaw and throw spinning back kicks/ straight lefts. If you guys remember, McGregor was shitting on Thai boxing back then and I really felt the effect of it in MMA gyms. The tide is shifting, new champion like Shevchenko, Adesanya, Yan and Gane are making Muay Thai shine again.

 

[greenstone]

I mean really the answer is "he's a good technical kickboxer" rather than some easy tactic others can pickup on.

There's some good information in the video on the technical nuances of Aldo's technical kickboxing game. Hope others don't dismiss this breakdown so flagrantly.

 

[MartiniSIDe]

Aldo is a monster. I was so skeptical of him moving down. I feel like he's lost some power and isn't the same, but he is still changing fight to fight, and I think he's gonna fight Yan again.
What a fighter.

Preach

I’ve always liked Aldo but his post McGregor era has made me appreciate him more. Some fighters are never the same after that kind of defeat but not Aldo. The guy reinvented himself. His boxing went from good to phenomenal. Less kicks, less explosive strikes but 100% controlled savagery.

His last few years have cemented him in my personal top 5 goats.

Amazing fighter

 

[Substance Abuse]

To summarize, Aldo is still a technical wizard at 35 old, 17 years in and 38 fights deep. The guy is far beyond his physical prime but his knowledge is master level. WAR Aldo.

Most fighters wilt after their apex ends. Aldo's determination to keep going, keep learning and not take any easy fights is a rarity in this sport, at this age and after that many fights.

 

[NGute87]

Preach

I’ve always liked Aldo but his post McGregor era has made me appreciate him more. Some fighters are never the same after that kind of defeat but not Aldo. The guy reinvented himself. His boxing went from good to phenomenal. Less kicks, less explosive strikes but 100% controlled savagery.

His last few years have cemented him in my personal top 5 goats.

Amazing fighter

Absolutely. He lost some, to gain some.
He's a real life warrior and gladiator.
We love him!

 

[Substance Abuse]

Just want to say, what Aldo doing is real GOAT shit. Since that second Max loss, he's fought nine times, losing twice. Both losses? Current title holders. Every fight was against someone ranked. Aldo has fought more ranked guys since the Max loss than Khabib did in his whole career. I'm not trying to hate on Khabib who is a generational talent, but just putting it in perspective.

 

[JohnMandick]

Dude isnt a veteran genius for nothing, here, just watch jack black's breakdown of Aldo's high iq defense. Calf kicks wouldnt be so effective if people would adopt this type of defense. José Aldo has shown more improvement than Conor McGregor in this regard.

Aldo and Jack Slack are among the best ever.

 

[d2s]

Just want to say, what Aldo doing is real GOAT shit. Since that second Max loss, he's fought nine times, losing twice. Both losses? Current title holders. Every fight was against someone ranked. Aldo has fought more ranked guys since the Max loss than Khabib did in his whole career. I'm not trying to hate on Khabib who is a generational talent, but just putting it in perspective.

I know it's the hipster thing to do but Moraes beat Aldo in a close fight. Not a robbery. There have been so many other robberies that just get forgotten about but the Aldo fanboys really really push this narrative, my word. That being said, WAR Aldo.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

 

[Substance Abuse]

I know it's the hipster thing to do but Moraes beat Aldo in a close fight. Not a robbery. There have been so many other robberies that just get forgotten about but the Aldo fanboys really really push this narrative, my word. That being said, WAR Aldo.

Could have gone either way. No hate to Moraes.

 

[WHITELIONBAR]

Calves kicks became effective when MMA fighters started forgetting their Muay Thai roots. McGregor started an era of "Boxing/Karate" type strikers in MMA. Back in 2014, everyone started widening their stance, going southpaw and throw spinning back kicks/ straight lefts. If you guys remember, McGregor was shitting on Thai boxing back then and I really felt the effect of it in MMA gyms. The tide is shifting, new champion like Shevchenko, Adesanye, Yan and Gane are making Muay Thai shine again.

Nice observation

 

[chardog]

basically a modified check kick that aldo is used to doing

 

[CashMoney1991]

Aldo is a monster. I was so skeptical of him moving down. I feel like he's lost some power and isn't the same, but he is still changing fight to fight, and I think he's gonna fight Yan again.
What a fighter.

I agree, considering he had rough cuts to 145

 

[NGute87]

I agree, considering he had rough cuts to 145

That's the main thing that I kept thinking about.
I even said he's gonna suffer KO losses from cutting too much. He's proved me wrong, and I m very happy!
This goes to show what an absolute professional Aldo is.

 

[Chubi]

Calves kicks became effective when MMA fighters started forgetting their Muay Thai roots. McGregor started an era of "Boxing/Karate" type strikers in MMA. Back in 2014, everyone started widening their stance, going southpaw and throw spinning back kicks/ straight lefts. If you guys remember, McGregor was shitting on Thai boxing back then and I really felt the effect of it in MMA gyms. The tide is shifting, new champion like Shevchenko, Adesanye, Yan and Gane are making Muay Thai shine again.

Calf kicks are in fact designed to destroy fighters with wider stance, but Gane and Adesanya became champion thanks to their knowledge of movements, they are evasives. Their stances are very different than Aldo's.

I got your point though.

 

[neandertal]

Its just Aldo and couple of others that can use this though.. you need to have a lower body as a Brazilian soccer player and the balance of one to match. Its absolute beautiful though, but requires crazy stability and control and short limb speed and reactions. I feel it has similarities to dribbling on one leg in soccer. Very few can do it