Jose Aldo made it look easy against Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. The former two-time UFC featherweight champion showcased his exceptional striking to earn a unanimous decision victory over Martinez. Aldo rocked Martinez in the third round, after two closely contested rounds. Martinez knew he was behind the scorecards and was aggressive in the third round but Aldo’s counters were on point, rocking the American before taking him down and finishing on top. All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of Aldo. The Brazilian was on the final fight of his contract and with the victory, the featherweight GOAT expressed interest in continuing his MMA career with the UFC.
What’s next for Jose Aldo?
Jose Aldo fought for the vacant bantamweight title against Petr Yan after coming off a controversial loss to Marlon Moraes. Yan defeated Aldo to claim the title vacated by Henry Cejudo and Aldo’s second run at the title ended at UFC 279, losing to Merab Dvalishvili. The loss to the Georgian made Aldo announce his retirement and he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame soon after. Dvalishvili is now the number-one contender in the division, potentially next in line for a title fight against Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.
There is potentially a chance that Aldo could leapfrog Dvalishvili and get a title shot against O’Malley. The UFC is very high on Suga and would entertain the idea of having their star fight a Hall of Famer. Moreover, a matchup between O’Malley and Aldo would be a striking fans’ delight. O’Malley would be favored to win the matchup and the UFC would want it too. If O’Malley calls for a fight against Aldo, the chances are very high that the UFC would book the fight. Like Conor McGregor, O’Malley’s fame would skyrocket if he defeated Aldo.
Another fight that makes sense for Aldo would be a number one contender matchup against Marlon Vera or Dominick Cruz. Aldo had already defeated Vera but that was a three-round affair. In a five-round fight, Vera would certainly hold the edge. Jonathan Martinez was not Aldo’s first option at UFC 302, it was Dominick Cruz. As such, a matchup between the ex-UFC champions would certainly make sense. It would be the easiest path to a title shot for Aldo, considering all the other top-ranked fighters in the division have a stylistic and age edge over the veteran.
