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Outlook: It’s a testament to Jose Aldo’s reputation and how he looked in his bantamweight debut against Marlon Moraes that, coming off two straight losses, he’s getting a shot at the 135-pound crown. The longtime featherweight king made the cut down 10 more pounds look like it wouldn’t be a problem, and his contest against Moraes was razor close. At 33, Aldo looks like he has plenty left in the tank if he wants to go for it. Another 33-year-old Brazilian, Pedro Munhoz was on a nice run, winning seven of eight before dropping a fun contest against Aljamain Sterling. Always a dangerous submission artist, his bout with Cody Garbrandt was as fun a brawl as they come, with Munhoz showing he has the power to be the one left standing. As far as Garbrandt goes, it’s wild to think that the former bantamweight champion is only 28 years old. A little more than three years have passed since his stunning performance over Dominick Cruz, and Garbrandt suffered knockout losses in his last three fights. He was set to return after a year away against Raphael Assuncao, but medical problems forced him to pull out of the fight. Once he does return to action, though, it’ll be interesting to see the changes in his game after working with Mark Henry, Frankie Edgar and company in New Jersey. While there’s plenty of veteran talent, the likes of Marlon “Chito” Vera, Song Yadong and Sean O’Malley are just a few of the young bantamweights loaded with talent and looking to make noise within the next year. If there’s a bantamweight fight on a card, you’re almost guaranteed to see high-level mixed martial arts.
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