With upset of Aldo at UFC 169, Ricardo Lamas would be down for rematch – in Mexico
Ricardo Lamas is the biggest underdog on this Saturday’s UFC 169 card, and he’s not really that close to what oddsmakers are saying is the second biggest ‘dog.
Lamas (13-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) fights featherweight champion Jose Aldo (23-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) for the title in the co-main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and right now Aldo is more than a 6-to-1 favorite. In contrast, Alistair Overeem is slightly more than a 3-to-1 favorite against Frank Mir.
Aldo hasn’t lost in more than eight years. And he trains with bantamweight champ Renan Barao, who hasn’t lost in nearly nine years. Lamas knows Aldo is training with some downright studs at Nova Uniao in Brazil. But, he said, no one should look past what he’ll bring to the table on Saturday just because he isn’t part of a universally-known camp.
“I’ve stuck with the same people. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,†Lamas told MMAjunkie Radio of the teams he splits time with, near his Chicago-area home and MMA Masters in Miami. “I know he trains with some monsters in Brazil, but I train with some monsters in Chicago and Miami. Just because you don’t know their names yet doesn’t mean anything. My main training partner in Miami, Luis Palomino, is by far, I think, the best fighter in the world that isn’t signed with the UFC. I’d put my money on him against anyone in the lightweight or featherweight division. He’s the real deal, and it’s a shame he’s not in a show like the UFC. He just signed with World Series of Fighting, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot more of him.â€
But Palomino won’t be in there against Aldo on Saturday. Lamas will – finally. It will be his first fight in more than a year, since a destructive TKO of Erik Koch a year ago at UFC on FOX 6 in Chicago.
Lamas thought he was next in line for a title shot with Aldo after that win. But lightweight Anthony Pettis stepped in front of him. When he was injured a month before his drop to featherweight, the UFC called on Chan Sung Jung to fight Aldo instead of Lamas. “The Korean Zombie†was injured against Aldo and lost a TKO, and Pettis decided to stay at lightweight and beat Benson Henderson to become champion.
And finally, Lamas got the call to bring his four-fight featherweight winning streak and three stoppages to New Jersey to go after Aldo’s belt.
“Looking back, I’m glad I got this much time to prepare for the fight,†Lamas said. “I think I’m in better shape now than I’ve ever been in, and technically, I’ve improved as a fighter – and it’ll show on Saturday.â€
This week, Lamas said he’ll be more focused on the mental side of the lofty task in front of him against Aldo more than the physical.
“I’ve put in all the work,†he said. “We’ve trained for three months. We’ve watched video, we’ve watched footage, and we’ve trained for it. There isn’t much I can do from this point to the fight that’s going to make me any better. I just try to clear my head, stay calm and enjoy the week. There’s going to be a lot of publicity, a lot of talking. So I’ll just try to enjoy the moment while people still want to talk to me.â€
An upset win, and plenty of people will want to talk to Lamas, of course. And some of those people would likely be Aldo and his camp, as well as the UFC.
Lamas said if he wins on Saturday, by all means he’d be willing to give Aldo a rematch. The son of a Cuban father and Mexican mother would love to help the UFC break into a new country for that big fight if things go his way.
“I think he’d be deserving of (a rematch) more than anyone,†Lamas said. “He’s been the champ for a long time and he’s been a dominating champ. He would definitely deserve it if that was something he wanted. I’d say in Mexico, maybe, would be a real cool spot.â€
