Following a unanimous decision win against Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301, MMA fighter Jose Aldo plans to discuss his future with UFC president Dana White, as his contract allows UFC to match any offer he receives, and he is also considering other opportunities such as a potential fight on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing card.
Well, Jose Aldo is now a hot commodity in the MMA free agent market. But he’s not rushing into anything. He’s planning to have a sit-down with Dana White and the UFC bigwigs to talk about his future. This comes after his impressive unanimous decision win against Jonathan Martinez in UFC 301’s co-main event.
Why’s he doing this? Well, he kinda has to. It’s all in the contract language.
Aldo, speaking in Portuguese at the UFC 301 post-fight press conference, said, “I always have to sit with the UFC. The contract says so, right? The UFC can match any offer that comes my way.” He added, “So, let’s chill. First, we have to sit with Dana… and see what’s the best path for us.”
Aldo’s been away for nearly two years. He made a triumphant return, defeating Martinez on his home turf in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His last octagon appearance? That was back in August 2022 at UFC 278, where he lost a decision to Merab Dvalishvili.
Despite the loss to Dvalishvili, Aldo sees a possibility. He believes he could skip the line for a title fight if he re-signs with the UFC. Dvalishvili, by the way, is considered a top contender to face Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title later this year.
“That’s what my manager says — I can skip the line. I can get in there, because when we left, we were highly ranked,” Aldo said. He added, “I’m happy to be part of this card. We’re lucky to be here in Rio, right? When I started talking with the UFC in January, there were no plans for a UFC event in Rio. But thank God, it worked out.”
Aldo also mentioned an offer to fight on the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing card on July 20 in Arlington, Texas. He’s open to it, but he’s not in a hurry to decide.
“Yes, it could be boxing,” Aldo said. “I received offers, I was sent a contract for the Paul vs. Tyson card, but I said, ‘No, I’m with UFC, so I need to fight, I need to see how I am.’”
If Aldo stays with the UFC, there are other exciting options for him. He could face former champions Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz, or perennial contender Cory Sandhagen.
Interestingly, Aldo had asked for a fight with Cejudo and Sandhagen before booking his bout with Martinez.
“As crazy as it sounds, I had asked to fight with Sandhagen, but he was injured,” Aldo said. “Before that, I messaged Henry Cejudo about this possibility, but he had just fought and was going through shoulder surgery. So, it couldn’t happen here in Rio. It could have been Henry or Dominick, right?”
Aldo added, “So it was two guys we talked about a lot for this to happen. But with Henry, I started the process. I texted him, I asked with all due respect what he thought of doing this fight. Not here in Rio, but anywhere else for me to go back. And he said no, he’s going through surgery. So that’s why it didn’t happen.”