Jose Aldo will make his official return to the Octagon at UFC 301 on May 4 from inside Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the UFC featherweight legend takes on bantamweight contender Jonathan Martinez on the pay-per-view (PPV) main card. This is according to a recent report by AGFight.
This should help the “brutal” UFC 301 lineup.
The King of Rio is BACK!
He fights Jonathan Martinez at #UFC301, per @AgFight pic.twitter.com/UNIpF19XA2— MMA Mania (@mmamania) March 16, 2024
Aldo, 37, stepped away from UFC back in September 2022 following a decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 one month prior. That loss ended a three-fight bantamweight win streak for the former UFC featherweight champion, but Aldo still felt it was his time to call it quits.
Luckily, Aldo remained active in the world of combat sports. Following his departure from UFC, the Brazilian legend fought three times inside of the boxing ring. This included a close draw against fellow UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens and a recent unanimous decision win over Esteban Gabriel Espindola in July of 2023.
Fight fans were hoping for a legacy fight between Aldo and former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, but the promotion ultimately settled on Martinez for Aldo’s return. That’s still a solid matchup, especially for a UFC 301 main card lacking serious star power.
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