What's one of the keys to slowing down Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo's diverse striking attack?
Check his low leg kicks, according to Duke Roufus, head trainer to Aldo's next opponent, Anthony Pettis.
While "Showtime," isn't a stranger to the offensive kickboxing game, Roufus, a former kickboxing champion, says one of the key tactics Pettis will focus on to nullify "Junior's" attack on Aug. 3, 2013 will be to defend kicks to the legs, something Pettis did very well against Donald Cerrone at UFC on FOX 6 last month in Chicago.
While Aldo can punish his opponents with his hands and knees as well, Roufus says it all begins with stopping the low kicks.
He broke it down to Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting:
"I'm not gonna say it's a flaw, but the one thing is the low kicks. The leg kicks are going to be a non-issue. Leg kicks are a cool thing until someone knows how to block it. When you know how to block it, he's the one that gets hurt, Aldo, not Anthony. That's the one thing that has given a lot of people trouble and that's the one thing Anthony prepared for real well with Cerrone and that was a non-issue there, too. Those leg kicks he launched, you saw Anthony block it and strike back right away. You did not see him throw a leg kick anymore. That's the thing about MMA. Guys suck at blocking leg kicks. They're so worried about takedowns that they sometimes forget the leg kicks and when you know that someone likes to throw them a lot, you're ready for them. In other sports, they're not as common because people know how to defend them. That's the one thing I'll say will definitely affect Aldo's game. The kicking will be out. I believe Anthony's faster than him so the hands and other weapons, Anthony won't be in front of him for his knees and I can just say what Aldo is not going to do to him."
Aldo, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and Muay Thai specialist, is well known for his bone-rattling kicks, which were on full display in his previous title defense against Frankie Edgar at UFC 156 earlier this month, dropping "The Answer" on more than one occasion throughout the bout with perfectly-placed strikes to the leg.
Perhaps Aldo's greatest handy leg-kick work to date came at WEC 48 when the 145-pound kingpin punished Urijah Faber's legs for 25 minutes, leaving "The California Kid's" left leg battered and bruised.
See the aftermath here.
Nevertheless, Roufus is confident his fighter, Pettis, won't be a victim of Aldo's kicks come fight night and the rest of his attack will be nullified thanks to "Showtime's" speed.
Is it August yet?
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