José Aldo’s (31-8 MMA) dream of moving across to boxing is looking more and more likely.
Aldo was last in action against Merab Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA) at UFC 278 as he looked to secure a potential second title shot at 135lbs after recording three wins on the bounce.
However, the Brazilian native didn’t look like himself as Dvalishvili was able to control the 36-year-old with his wrestling to earn himself a unanimous decision victory.
"This is a dream. I don't believe this. We have to do whatever we do best."
Tons of respect shown between @MerabDvalishvil and @josealdojunior
#UFC278 pic.twitter.com/rOQSZa1gUn
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) August 21, 2022
Although rumors lingered about his potential retirement, it was shortly later announced ‘Junior’ would decide to walk away from the promotion and retire from MMA.
José Aldo makes the move to boxing
José Aldo who is now out of contract following his retirement at UFC 278, isn’t going away from combat sports as a whole.
The former UFC Featherweight champion has always been vocal about his ambition to move across to boxing throughout his career.
Now with a potential boxing debut on the horizon, Aldo’s dream of becoming a professional boxer is growing into a reality.
Hardcore FC founder Anatoliy Sulyanov seems to be confident that José Aldo will be fighting in March 2023 in Dubai.
“On March 18th there will be a big Hardcore Boxing event in Dubai,” Sulyanov stated.
“I’m not going to tell you the names yet, but José Aldo and most likely even Sergey “Crusher” Kovalev will be on the card. Aldo will fight with 99.9 percent probability, we’re negotiating with Sergey now.” (H/T Bloody Elbow)
The only question that remains is who Aldo’s first test in the squared ring will be, that is if his March debut ends up materializing.