John McCarthy believes Jose Aldo can beat Aljamain Sterling

John McCarthy (left), Jose Aldo (middle) and Aljamain Sterling (right) [Image credits: @johnmccarthymma, @ufc and @funkmastermma on Instagram]

John McCarthy believes Jose Aldo has what it takes to beat Aljamain Sterling. The former MMA referee recently claimed that the Brazilian has the necessary skillset required to defeat the reigning UFC bantamweight champion, but would struggle in a rematch against Petr Yan.

In an episode of his podcast Weighing In, McCarthy said:

"[Jose] Aldo is fighting at a level that you could look and say, 'Could he beat Aljamain Sterling?' Yeah. I'm not too sure that he can beat Petr Yan, I'm just gonna be honest about that... But Aldo is that guy. When you're taking a look at who he's been fighting and what he's been doing, he's been looking fantastic and he has been fighting the very best guys out there."

Watch John McCarthy and co-host Josh Thomson give their take on Jose Aldo below:

Jose Aldo, the former UFC featherweight champion, dropped down to the bantamweight division in 2019. He got off to a tumultuous start at 135 lbs, losing to Marlon Moraes via split decision in his very first bout.

Many believed that Aldo should have won the fight against Moraes. The Brazilian was subsequently booked to take on Petr Yan for the vacant belt following the retirement of Henry Cejudo. Yan dominated Aldo in their title bout and secured a TKO victory to become the new bantamweight champion.

Aldo has since put together a three-fight winning streak comprising victories over the likes of Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font. 'The King of Rio' called out T.J. Dillashaw following his sensational victory over Font.

Jose Aldo called for a battle of former champs after #UFCVegas44 https://t.co/j1X17VyTfv

Michael Bisping believes Jose Aldo can defeat Petr Yan

Michael Bisping, unlike John McCarthy, believes Jose Aldo can beat Petr Yan if the two fight again.

Drawing inspiration from on his own experience with Luke Rockhold, 'The Count' argued that the Brazilian may very well bounce back the second time around and get the better of 'No Mercy' in a rematch.

Bisping, in a video released on his YouTube channel, said:

"He [Jose Aldo] fought Petr Yan for the belt last year on Fight Island, didn't go his way, got stopped in the fourth round in a relatively one-sided performance but still, bad night at the office. Every fight is different. Remember, I fought Luke Rockhold the first time and I lost. The second time I fought I beat him, knocked him out in the first round. So there's no reason that Jose Aldo couldn't beat him in a rematch."

Watch Michael Bisping discuss Jose Aldo's chances in a rematch against Petr Yan below: