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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, was recently eliminated from the 145-pound title picture, thanks to a “sad” unanimous decision loss to top-ranked contender, Alexander Volkanovski, in the UFC 237 co-main event last May.
That’s probably why “Junior” has been flirting with a bantamweight showdown against current 135-pound champion, Henry Cejudo, though it should be noted that “Triple C” is calling out everyone from Max Holloway to Valentina Shevchenko.
Either way, UFC President Dana White is not on board.
“Aldo sent me a text telling me he wants to do this, so we really haven’t talked about it, but I just … there’s no way that kid can make ‘35 pounds,” White told MMA Junkie. “There’s no way. Do you remember when he was the champ and how hard it was for him to make ‘45 pounds? And he’s not any younger. I honestly haven’t even taken that serious. Love Aldo, and I want to do what he wants to do, but I don’t think I want to see him cut to ‘35. I don’t think that’s going to be good for him.”
Aldo, 32, has struggled with the 145-pound limit as far back as UFC 136.
As of this writing, Cejudo will be required to defend his 125-pound title against Joseph Benavidez, who captured a razor-thin victory over “Triple C” back in late 2016. If not, he’ll be forced to relinquish his flyweight crown.
Aldo (28-5), meanwhile, recently signed a longterm deal with UFC that will (likely) keep him inside the Octagon for the remainder of his career. If anything, a move up to lightweight sounds more realistic than a drop down to 135 pounds.
Time will tell.