Jose Aldo Resurgent: What It Will Take for the UFC Champ to Have a Knockout 2015

And still champion.

Jose Aldo turned back the stiffest challenge of his career last Saturday at UFC 179, besting Chad Mendes after a five-round brawl that will be up to history to properly put in perspective.

In doing so, Aldo answered many of the criticisms that had come to surround his three-and-a-half year tenure as UFC featherweight champion. He was still his measured, technically sublime self during this bout, but when Mendes pushed, Aldo pushed back with true championship mettle.

More than anything, this fight proved that at worst he is an exacting professional, whose skill and pure athleticism remain unmatched by his peers. In moments when he wants to be at his best, he can be one of the most terrifying and awe-inspiring fighters on the planet.

Both aspects of Aldo’s in-ring personality may well come in handy next year, as an unprecedented and robust crop of contenders is suddenly waiting around every corner. Even after dispatching Mendes in impressive fashion, 2015 promises to provide no rest for the 145-pound king.

Let’s take a look at what it will take for Aldo to make it one for the ages.

He Needs to Stay Healthy.

USA TODAY Sports

This is sort of a no-brainer.

A week ago, I argued that 2015 could well provide Aldo with his last, best chance to seize a place among MMA’s all-time greats. I’m talking right up there with the Anderson Silvas, Georges St-Pierres and Fedor Emelianenkos of the world. After watching him go to the mattresses with Mendes last Saturday, I’m more convinced of it than ever.

But for the 145-pound champion to finally, completely make good on his potential, he’ll have to avoid injury. To date, the biggest impediment to Aldo’s march toward the history books has been his own body. He’s never fought in the Octagon more than twice during a single calendar year, and much of that is due to the laundry list of physical ailments that have plagued him since coming over from the WEC in 2011.

For Aldo to stake his claim to greatness during 2015, he’ll need to fight three, maybe four times. Perhaps more than the competition itself, that seems like the biggest challenge. Obviously, to make it possible, he’ll have to avoid delays.

Here’s hoping his neck, knees, fists and the rest of him are up to it.

A Springtime Matchup with Cub Swanson (or Frankie Edgar).

USA TODAY Sports

Both Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar already sport losses to Aldo on their otherwise impressive resumes. Nonetheless, conventional wisdom says that the winner of their Nov. 22 showdown will retain No. 1 contender status, despite a strong recent push from Conor McGregor.

Especially now that McGregor is booked for a January fight against Dennis Siver.

And especially if said winner is Swanson.

Perhaps it seems counterintuitive to give a second title shot to a guy who got knocked out by Aldo in 12 seconds the first time they met, at WEC 41. But that was five-plus years ago and—truthfully—Swanson never really even got the chance to show his stuff in their initial meeting.

He’s been on an absolute tear since the beginning of 2012, winning six straight fights, with four stoppages and four of the fight company’s performance-based bonuses. Swanson recently snarled that no matter what people have been saying about the upstart McGregor, he’s been assured he’ll get the next title shot if he gets by Edgar.

That’s probably the right call. Considering his current win streak, Swanson deserves another go at Aldo. His high-octane striking style would make for an interesting and potentially exciting matchup with the champion and—despite McGregor’s heat or Edgar’s panache as former lightweight champion—he makes the most sense as the next challenger.

By contrast, Edgar’s hard-fought but decisive loss to Aldo was just last February. If he downs Swanson, he’d still rightfully have dibs over McGregor, but it would make things a lot less clear-cut.

Look for a bout with the Edgar-Swanson winner sometime in the spring.

A Midsummer’s Dream Fight with Conor McGregor.

USA TODAY Sports

When the UFC announced it would fly McGregor to Brazil for UFC 179 after his September win over Dustin Poirier, the obvious conclusion was that he’d be next up for either Aldo or Mendes.

But then, amid a flurry of bad promotional news for the UFC, McGregor unexpectedly took to Twitter to say he wouldn’t wait around for a title shot. Instead, he’ll fight Dennis Siver on Jan. 18, at a Fox Sports 1 event timed to air immediately following the AFC Championship Game.

It’s a weird booking for McGregor, but not necessarily a dangerous one. If he sails past Siver the way everyone expects him to, the UFC won’t put off his championship opportunity much longer.

There’s an outside chance he may even leap-frog the Swanson-Edgar winner in line, but that would be a shame. It really does make sense to hold off on McGregor a bit and try to schedule his shot at the belt for one of the UFC’s traditionally big-selling pay-per-views.

Say, Saturday, July 4, 2015, for example?

Book it.

Keeping Our Fingers Crossed for Dennis Bermudez.

USA TODAY Sports

If anybody ends up getting the short end of the Jose Aldo sweepstakes, it might well be Bermudez.

The 27-year-old Menace has arguably the best claim for immediate contender status, what with his seven straight wins and recent demolition of Clay Guida at July’s UFC on Fox 12. Unfortunately, he’s rarely mentioned in the same breath with guys like Swanson, Edgar and McGregor.

Bermudez will fight former No. 1 contender Ricardo Lamas at UFC 180 in November. If he wins that one, and suddenly has eight (eight!) straight victories inside the Octagon? In a division that up until this very moment wasn’t exactly known for its enormous depth? Well, that’ll really be something.

Unfortunately, barring injury or the need for a late substitution into a title bout, Bermudez will probably have to win at least one or two more high-profile bouts before the featherweight championship carousel has a spot for him.

That’s a fairly cruel reality for Bermudez, who hasn’t done anything wrong besides not suck up all the air in the room with copious trash-talk. I hope that by the end of next year he’s still winning and still waiting for Aldo to get around to him.

2016: Consider Yourself Put on Notice, Lightweights.

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s face it—a 2015 when Aldo merely defeats Swanson and McGregor would be pretty admirable, and frankly that seems like all we dare hope for here. But while we’re spitballing an historic year for the featherweight champion, we might as well go for broke.

If Aldo somehow manages to squeeze three bouts into next year—and defeats a menu of opponents like Cub, Conor and Bermudez—well, his work might well be done at 145 pounds.

Luckily for him, there would be bigger worlds left to conquer.

Folks have been talking about a potential superfight between Aldo and 155-pound champion Anthony Pettis since forever. Go ahead, make all the injury-related jokes you want, and it still won’t overshadow the potential awesomeness of seeing the greatest featherweight of all time move up a division.

Aside from injuries, remember that Aldo’s biggest Achilles heel has always been the weight he’s forced to cut to get to 145. It’s chilling, really, to imagine what he might be capable of if he didn’t have to shed all those pounds.

Obviously, we have no idea if Pettis would still be champion by the time Aldo got there. The lightweight titlist has his own date with Gilbert Melendez scheduled for later this year. But 155 is the most talent-rich division in all of MMA and there would be no shortage of compelling matchups there for Aldo, no matter who was on top.

Pettis? Melendez? Donald Cerrone? Nate Diaz? Eddie Alvarez? Who wouldn’t want to see him fight any of those guys?

Perhaps the scariest thing of all to reckon with about Aldo is that he’s still only 28 years old. If his body holds together, he’s got years and years left in this sport.

Plenty of time to accomplish amazing things, 2016 and beyond.