Why does Jose Aldo not throw kicks?

Jose Aldo is a retired Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Bantamweight division.

He held the UFC title for the record for 1848 days, the 5th longest UFC Title reign in history.

Aldo is known primarily for his Muay Thai style striking and leg kicks, coupled with defensive wrestling.

However, in a 2017 fight against Max Holloway, Aldo, against his well-known style didn’t throw any kicks.

Why does Jose Aldo not throw kicks? According to Aldo’s coach, he [Aldo] was suffering through a leg injury that prevented him from throwing kicks in his fight with Max Holloway at UFC 212.

Many people were surprised at Aldo’s inability to throw a kick during the fight, which was strange considering that has always been one of his primary weapons.

However, Aldo’s coach Pederneiras explained in an interview;

“Many people ask why he didn’t throw kicks, Aldo had a leg injury, so he couldn’t do any kicking throughout the camp, he couldn’t run, do any of that.

“Not that it takes away from Max Holloway and his win, we’re not saying that at all, but many people asked why he didn’t kick.

“It’s funny, because every round, I’d step down [from the Octagon] and the crowd would be like, ‘tell him to kick!’ and I’d say ‘OK, hang on’ and I’d turn around and only us in the corner knew.

“We were really avoiding the kicks because of this injury. We were afraid [the muscle] would tear there.”