Jorge Masvidal has spent a career telling people where to go and how fast to get there. This week he played matchmaker for the scariest fantasy assignment in the sport, the job of walking into the cage against Khabib Nurmagomedov or Islam Makhachev, and he didn’t hesitate on the name.
In a clip posted on X by Dovy (@DovySimuMMA), the former UFC fighter was asked about Jose Aldo against either of the Dagestani greats. His answer: “The only guy I would send in there to fight them is Aldo. He would probably beat them all.”
I’m going to give Masvidal half the credit here, and it’s the better half. He picked the right man for the job. Then he oversold him by exactly one word. The word all is where this falls apart, and probably is doing the work of three movers carrying a couch up a fourth-floor walkup.
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Why Aldo is the right pick
Masvidal’s case rests on two things: Aldo’s legendary takedown defense and his striking. That’s the correct framework, because every fantasy fight against Khabib or Islam starts and ends with one question. Can you stay on your feet long enough to make it a fight? Most hypotheticals people throw at those two collapse the second you picture a body lock against the fence. Aldo is the name fans reach for precisely because his reputation is built on the exact skill set the Dagestani style is designed to strip away.
And the timing on this is funny, because Masvidal wasn’t the only person drawing up plans against Makhachev this week. Charles Oliveira, also via a Dovy post on X, said Ian Garry showed Carlos Prates how to beat Islam, and he laid out the plan in detail: “If he lands those kicks to the ribs and calves like Garry, he could catch Islam off guard. If Islam doesn’t secure a finish in the first or second round and Prates maintains his composure, he has everything he needs to win.”
Read that blueprint again and tell me it doesn’t sound like a scouting report for the Aldo fantasy. Kicks to the body. Kicks to the legs. Stay composed, survive the early storm, and drag the fight into the deep water. Oliveira described a striker who refuses to be taken down and taxes his opponent every time he steps in. That’s the Aldo pitch in a nutshell, and Masvidal got there first.
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Where “beat them all” breaks
Look closely at Oliveira’s quote, though, because it’s packed with conditions. “If he lands.” “If Islam doesn’t secure a finish in the first or second round.” “Prates maintains his composure.” That’s three separate ifs, and every one of them represents minutes of somebody trying to wrap around your waist. Takedown defense is a great answer for one exchange. Against these guys it has to be an answer for 25 minutes, over and over, with no bad moment allowed.
That’s why “probably beat them all” goes from bold to bar talk. Picking Aldo as the guy with the best shot? I’m with you, Jorge. Saying he runs the table on both? That’s the kind of thing you say when the person you’re picking against can’t file a rebuttal from inside a hypothetical. Fantasy fights always favor the guy who isn’t there to answer.
Why we’re arguing about ghosts
There’s a reason a take like this catches fire right now, and it’s that the real lightweight division is stuck in park. Justin Gaethje is the champion after handing Ilia Topuria the first MMA loss of his career at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, the card held on the South Lawn of the White House. Topuria has since accused Gaethje of tampering with his gloves and wants an immediate rematch. Gaethje has left that door open while seemingly favoring Arman Tsarukyan as the more deserving contender. Neither Gaethje nor Topuria is fighting again in 2026.
So when the actual title picture is frozen until next year, fans fill the gap with time machines. Masvidal handed them a good one.
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Meanwhile the man Masvidal thinks Aldo would beat is having a great month. Makhachev was caught on video trolling his friends with “2-3 years Turkey and forget,” and Alexander Volkanovski told TMZ Sports the two have already discussed a trip to Dagestan, saying “I’m going to go to Dagestan, in the mountains, horseback hunting, hunting on horseback, catching whatever we catch and then cooking it.” Islam doesn’t sound worried about phantom Brazilians.
He shouldn’t be, at least not from Aldo. The closest thing we’ll get to Masvidal’s dream fight is somebody actually running Oliveira’s rib-and-calf plan on Makhachev in a real cage. If Carlos Prates ever gets that shot, he’d better kick like he’s been watching old Aldo tape, because that’s the only version of this argument that ever gets settled.
