Jose Aldo returns with a flawless victory at UFC 301 and hints at surprising next career move

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Former UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, returned to UFC action this Saturday at UFC 301 with a win over Jonathan Martinez and hinted at what his next move might be.

Jose Aldo's last UFC fight came at UFC 278 in August 2022, where he was beaten by Merab Dvalishvili. Following that, the Brazilian legend took his talents over to the realm of boxing where he competed three times.

Jonathan Martinez was coming into his UFC 301 fight with Aldo ranked 12th in the bantamweight division, riding a six-fight win streak.

Early in the fight, the 37-year-old Aldo showcased that he is still an extremely dangerous fighter in the cage, asserting his dominance from the opening bell. From there, Aldo dominated for three rounds, picking up the unanimous decision on his return to Rio.

Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Jose Aldo hints at a new UFC contract following UFC 301 win

After realizing so much success during his short boxing stint, it seemed likely that the Brazilian would see out the final fight on his UFC contract and then revisit his boxing career.

Prior to his comeback fight, Aldo admitted in an interview with MMAJunkie that he was highlighting the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight card as one that he would like to compete on.

Despite that, following his flawless victory on Saturday night, Aldo surprisingly stated that he would like to speak with Dana White about negotiating a new contract.

"I have to thank Jonathan (Martinez) for this opportunity and now my next step is sitting with Dana (White), Sean (Shelby), and Hunter (Campbell) and we'll see how it goes.

"I said that this wasn't going to be my last fight, I think I'm in the physique I still have the age that I can still fight, you can still that I can still go forward, so maybe we can come back in here and become the champion." Aldo stated in his Octagon interview.

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Jose Aldo's options in the UFC at bantamweight

After Aldo's return win, former opponent Marlon Vera called for a rematch with 'The King of Rio' saying, "Let's run it back Aldo?" on X. The two last fought in December 2020, when Aldo picked up the unanimous decision win.

The 37-year-old's decision to move down to 135lbs back in 2019 came as a surprise, but after an impressive run that saw him come close to a title shot, Aldo's decision paid dividends.

Before the Brazilian's fight with Martinez was booked, Aldo admitted that he was in fact supposed to fight Dominick Cruz in his comeback fight. That is a fight that still makes sense going forward, with both fighters being undeniable legends of the sport.

Several rematches at 135lbs could be put together, to get Aldo closer to a bantamweight title shot. A rematch with Petr Yan could be possible, with both former champions seemingly wanting to reclaim UFC gold.

One thing is for certain, Jose Aldo 'Junior' wants to stick around in the UFC, and the fanbase is delighted.

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