Jose Aldo believes he gets to "skip line" to fight Sean O'Malley for the bantamweight title
Jose Aldo is ready to cut the line and challenge Sean O'Malley for the bantamweight title.
The former UFC featherweight champion made his comeback at UFC 301 after retiring from the sport in Sept. 2022. He squared off against Jonathan Martinez in a bantamweight bout. The fight took place on May 4 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and was featured as the co-main event.
Martinez entered the fight with a six-fight winning streak, including victories over Adrian Yanez, Cub Swanson, and Said Nurmagomedov. Meanwhile, Aldo last fought at UFC 278 against Merab Dvalishvili, losing the fight via unanimous decision.
Aldo outclassed Martinez for three straight rounds and came relatively close to a finish after stunning him in the third round. In the end, the Brazilian won by unanimous decision after receiving scores of 30-27 from each of the three judges.
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With a 4-1 record in his last five UFC contests, the legend is now hoping for another championship run. During the post-fight press conference, Aldo mentioned that his coach had told him that a man with his kind of legendary status might very well skip ahead in line and take on the champion.
He said:
“My coach always says that with my name, I can skip the line, I can get in there because when we left, we were very well ranked... If we can skip the line, it would be great. It would be great. I think that’s it, I’ll get some rest and go back to strong training, and new challenges will come.”
Jose Aldo isn't ready to hang up his boots yet
Jose Aldo's excellent victory over No. 12-ranked Jonathan Martinez has fueled speculation that he could challenge for UFC gold again.
Intriguingly, during his post-fight octagon interview at UFC 301, Aldo stated that he plans to meet with UFC CEO Dana White as well as UFC executives Sean Shelby and Hunter Campbell, to discuss his future. This has sparked speculation among fans that he may re-sign with the UFC.
Aldo said:
"I have to thank Jonathan [Martinez] for this opportunity. And, 'DC,' now, my next step is sitting with Dana [White], Sean [Shelby], and Hunter [Campbell]. And we'll see where it goes ... I said that this wasn't gonna be my last fight. I think I'm in the physique. I still have the age, where I can still fight. I see that I can still go forward. So, maybe, we can come back in here and become the champion."
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