Jose Aldo is currently one of the hottest free agents in mixed martial arts, but after his stunning unanimous decision victory over Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event of UFC 301, Jose Aldo has become one of the hottest free agents in mixed martial arts, including Dana White and other UFC leaders. I plan to discuss the future with the team.
The biggest reason is that they have to do so based on the terms of the contract.
“I always have to sit with the UFC because it's in my contract, right? The UFC is open to any offer that comes my way,” Aldo said at the UFC 301 post-fight press conference. spoke in Portuguese. “So I think we need to sit down and sit down with Dana first and see… and see what the best path we can take is. ”
Aldo returned for the first time in almost two years and defeated Martinez on his home turf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was his first appearance in the Octagon since losing a decision to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in August 2022.
Despite the loss to Dvalishvili, who many believe is the frontrunner to face Sean O'Malley for the bantamweight title later this year, Aldo remains confident that if he were to compete for the bantamweight title, I see a world where I can jump over the line. promotion.
“That's how it is [my manager] “You can skip the line and get in there because when we left, we were in very good position,” Aldo said. “We're happy to be on this card. We think [are lucky to have ended up] This is Rio, right? Because when I started talking to the UFC. [in] I had no plans to do the UFC in January. [event] It worked out well in Rio, but thank God.
“I didn't save the card, but I was able to come out here and put on a great show. I hope I can do this.” [help], can't you? If you can skip the line, that's great. I think that's it. When you take a break and return to intense training, a new challenge awaits you. ”
Ahead of his return to the Octagon, Aldo said he was offered a fight on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing card on July 20 in Arlington, Texas. The 'King of Rio' will take the opportunity if it arises, but the longtime featherweight champion is in no rush to make a decision.
“Yes, that's possible.” [boxing], like I said,” Aldo said. “I received an offer and was sent a contract.” [for the Paul vs. Tyson card]but I said, 'No, I'm in the UFC, I need to fight, I need to see where I am.'
“Yeah, that's big, isn't it? That's a window that's opened to me. So, first of all, with all due respect, my life has always been here. So I came here and sat down and said, We have to think about what is the best path that we can take.”
If Aldo were to remain in the UFC, he would certainly have attractive options other than a title fight — perhaps a bout with former champion Henry Cejudo or Dominick Cruz, or perhaps an eternal fight. He will likely face championship favorite Cory Sandhagen.
In fact, Cejudo and Sandhagen were the names Aldo wanted before booking the fight with Martinez.
“I forgot to mention this, as unbelievable as it may sound, but I asked you to fight Sandhagen. [he] You were hurt, right? ” Aldo said. “But before that, I sent a message to Henri Cejudo about this possibility, but he just fought and was scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery, so that's why it can't happen here in Rio either. That's Henry It might have been [or] Dominique, right?
“So we both talked a lot about making this happen, and Henry and I started it.” [the process on my own]I texted him and respectfully asked [what] He thought of fighting this battle. Not here in Rio, but there are other places I should go back to. And he said, “No, I'm going to have surgery.” That's why it didn't happen. ”