UFC 301, marks the company’s annual trip to one of its biggest markets in Brazil. The event will feature the King of Rio, Jose Aldo taking on Jonathan Martinez in what will be his last fight for the promotion. And while it’s not the main event, any fight involving Aldo is a money fight. So, ahead of the bout, we take a closer look at the estimated payouts for both Aldo and Martinez.
For his efforts against Martinez, it is reported that Aldo will earn a whopping $550,000. However, there is no information available on his opponent’s purse. Now, Aldo is no stranger to mega paydays in the UFC, having been part of title fights for over a decade including a mega payday with Conor McGregor himself.
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In his last fight against Merab Dvalishvili, Aldo earned an impressive $400,000. He was the highest-paid fighter on the card after the champion Kamaru Usman. The same will be the case at UFC 301 as well. The highest earning fighter on the card will be champion Alexandre Pantoja who is set to receive $750,000. Next in the cash line is Jose Aldo.
Aldo’s fight against Martinez comes 18-months after Aldo announced his retirement from the sport. Following his loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278, Aldo had stated that he no longer wanted to continue as a professional fighter. The win snapped a three-fight win streak and ended his hopes of securing another shot at the title. Therefore, a dejected Aldo walked away from the sport. But why is he then back just a year later?
Why is Jose Aldo returning to the UFC?
At the time when he hung up his gloves, Jose Aldo had one fight left on his contract. After a few months inside a boxing ring and a few fights, it would appear Aldo got the itch to use every weapon at his disposal again and so decided to meet with Dana White and Hunter Campbell. However, the meeting did not go as Aldo would have hoped as he did not sign a contract during the meeting.
Instead, Aldo is opting to fight out his UFC contract which is not something we see often.
He stated that he wanted to show the UFC that he still has what it takes. Given his stance it could be assumed that the contract offer to him was not financially lucrative but it shall remain mere speculation until reported otherwise.
