The fight card of the upcoming UFC 301 has positively shocked several fans. Apart from an enthralling Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg’s main event, the community is also hyped up about another fight. It is the UFC return of the former featherweight king, Jose Aldo, for the co-main event of the night. Amidst all the excitement, the Brazilian recently caught up with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto for an interview. ‘Scarface’ talked about a plethora of issues during the same, including a revelation of an offer from Dana White and Co.
Aldo disclosed that UFC authorities, Dana White and Sean Shelby, had offered him a renewal of his contract. “Dana” and “Sean” wanted him to sign another multi-fight contract with them. But, the Brazilian native mentioned that he had little interest in it as he didn’t need it “financially”. Aldo said,
“Sean and Dana offered me a longer-term deal with X no. of fights on it. Financially, I don’t need it.”
Although he has rejected a new contract, the guts he has shown to feature in yet another bout is commendable. Several UFC fighters have come out of retirement to grace the octagon.
But the age at which Aldo will be doing it sets him apart from the rest. He will be 37 when he takes on Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. Moreover, the ‘King Of Rio’ transitioned to the boxing ring successfully after his UFC retirement, which also might raise questions about his decision to return to the octagon.
Why is Jose Aldo returning to the UFC?
Aldo declared his retirement from the UFC in August 2022. But he hadn’t completed the count of fights mentioned in his UFC contract, with a single scrap pending. ‘Junior’ also mentioned in the interview that he had to wait for the UFC’s approval to compete in his boxing matches solely due to this reason.
This is exactly why he wanted to complete the terms of his UFC contract by appearing in the last fight mentioned in it. It will then make him a free agent, thereby allowing him to compete in boxing matches as and whenever he wishes. Hence, it’s quite expected that the Rio De Janeiro crowd will burst into cheers on the night of May 5, as they would bid one last farewell to one of the greatest UFC talents of all time.
