Jose Aldo, a UFC fighter, was offered a spot on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing card in July but chose to return to UFC instead, and also expressed interest in boxing against Manny Pacquiao.
Well, well, well. Jose Aldo, the MMA legend, dropped a bombshell in late April. He was eyeing a spot on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing card on July 20. And guess what? He was actually offered a fight on the show before he decided to return to the UFC.
Aldo’s now facing Jonathan Martinez in his last bout under the current UFC contract at UFC 301. He spilled the beans at Wednesday’s media day. He could’ve been on that boxing show, but he chose to fight this Saturday instead.
Aldo, speaking in Portuguese, said it wasn’t about wanting to box. He had this Saturday’s fight to focus on. He was offered a match on the Paul vs. Tyson card, opponent and all. This was before he was on the UFC Rio card, before the UFC sent him a name or got anything done. It was a done deal. But hey, he had to present the offer to the UFC, and they had to give him the green light. That was all sorted though.
Aldo’s no stranger to boxing. He’s boxed thrice since losing a decision to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in August 2022. He won two decisions in Rio de Janeiro. There was also a majority draw against Jeremy Stephens. Since Aldo had one bout left in his UFC contract, he had to ask the MMA promotion for permission to box. But he insists that being free from that contract isn’t why he agreed to face Martinez.
Aldo’s had his fair share of victories. He won three fights at bantamweight over Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font before his setback versus Dvalishvili. He chose to return against a prospect in Martinez. He wanted to test his mettle, see where he stood competitively.
Aldo’s been training hard. He was already prepping for that boxing match. When plans switched to fighting in the UFC, he just changed his training. He wasn’t sitting around, getting fat and retired on his farm, and then suddenly decided, ‘I want to fight again.’ No, he was already pushing hard.
Aldo, with a chuckle, said he can’t spill all the beans. Otherwise, ‘Dede’ (manager and coach Andre Pederneiras) would have his head.
The UFC Hall of Famer has no interest in boxing social media influencers. He’s a competitive guy and only wants to fight the best. He’s got a dream match in mind.
Aldo was close to facing Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather even agreed to fight in Saudi Arabia. But for some reason, it didn’t happen. Aldo’s also been in talks to face Manny Pacquiao for a long time. That would be the perfect end to his career. He’d be over the moon to face Pacquiao, given his love for boxing and his admiration for Pacquiao’s boxing skills. If that happens, it would be fantastic.