The bantamweight division has been a revelation for the UFC in 2021, and the promotion is closing the year with another red-hot 135-pound fight.
Rob Font will meet former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. The winner could put himself into position to challenge for the bantamweight title next year. ESPN has Font ranked No. 5 and Aldo at No. 6 at 135 pounds.
Aldo (30-7), an electric striker, has won two straight since falling to now-interim champion Petr Yan in a bout for the vacant title at UFC 251 in July 2020. The Brazilian is one of the greatest champions in MMA history, holding the UFC/WEC featherweight title for six years, from 2009 to 2014. Now, the 35-year-old Aldo is trying to make one last run to the top.
In his way is Font (19-4), a fighter coming into his own at 34 years old. The Massachusetts native has won four straight and is coming off impressive performances over former champ Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Moraes.
Will Aldo, the wily veteran with immaculate stand-up, get over the hump and push toward another chance at the belt late in his career? Or can Font further establish himself as the sleeper in this stacked division? ESPN asked several of the top coaches in MMA for their analysis and predictions.