It has been nearly two years since UFC fans last saw Jose Aldo compete in mixed martial arts and the organization’s inaugural featherweight champion will make his return this weekend at UFC 301 in his native Brazil.
Aldo announced his retirement from MMA in 2022 about a month removed from a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278. However, like so many other great combat sports athletes over the years, that announcement was not officially official.
In his first year of “retirement” Aldo competed in one amateur and two professional boxing matches in which he went undefeated – oh, and he was deservedly inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Aldo stayed in top shape while training for his boxing bouts and eventually he got the itch to return to the sport he once ruled over. With the UFC about to return to Rio de Janeiro for its 12th UFC event and first since UFC 283 almost 16 months ago, the organization was happy to oblige the 37-year-old and feature him prominently on Saturday’s card.
Aldo explained to Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter earlier this week the UFC’s original plan was to have Aldo face fellow former champion Dominick Cruz in his return.
“Unfortunately, he had something come up, something happen in his camp and then we ended up talking some names and we came up with Jonathan Martinez,” Aldo explained through an interpreter.
In Martinez, Aldo faces a hungry, 30-year-old fighter riding a six-fight winning streak.
Although this matchup doesn’t necessarily make the most sense from a career trajectory standpoint, stylistically it sets up as a fan-friendly pairing between two of the best kickers the lower weight classes have seen.
Martinez, the betting favourite, has fought and won thrice since Aldo’s MMA retirement in 2022 and the No. 12-ranked bantamweight contender finished his opponent with leg kicks in two of those wins.
Aldo had been training exclusively for boxing so before signing on for UFC 301 he made sure his MMA skills had not regressed to any point where it would be a concern.
“When we started thinking about (a return to MMA) I had to check and I saw that my skills were still there and I was able to compete in MMA. My body and everything else was still working great,” Aldo said before expressing confidence in his preparation, including specifically working kicks back into his training sessions.
“We trained it a lot. I love kickboxing. I was really focused on boxing but I had to bring that back a little bit. I think I’m really well-trained and I’m going to put on a show for everyone.”
Perhaps more important than his ability to deliver leg strikes of his own will be his ability to avoid or withstand the low kicks of his opponent.
Martinez is one of only two fighters in UFC history with multiple stoppage victories due to leg kicks. Edson Barboza is the other. Also, Martinez’s nine knockdowns during UFC bantamweight competition are tied for fifth-most in the division’s history behind a group of four fighters that each have 10.
“My goal is to always be the champion,” Aldo said of his current aspirations. “Whenever I go in there in the UFC I’m always thinking of getting the belt.”
If he returns to the win column Saturday it’s conceivable Aldo could be one or two wins from earning another title shot. His loss to Dvalishvili – a fighter with a claim to being the top 135-pounder currently in MMA despite having never fought for a UFC title – and a contentious 2019 split decision to Marlon Moraes are the only non-champions Aldo lost to during his initial 11-year UFC tenure.
Anyone who watched Aldo compete throughout his career, and those who saw his Hall of Fame enshrinement last year, know he is not one to hold back tears and emotion, so we may very well see that again from “The King of Rio” as he makes the walk to the cage ahead of Saturday’s penultimate bout.
“I’ve always been a very emotional guy and obviously the emotions are going to be running high coming back in Rio and you get emotional when you get to do what you love.”
“It’s always great energy. It’s always crazy to fight in Rio.”
Aldo is 3-2 in the UFC when fighting in Rio de Janeiro but has not won there since his classic five-round title defence over Chad Mendes back in 2014.
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