The retired Brazilian UFC fighter, Jose Aldo, is all set to try his hand at boxing. The fighter, who had a spectacular career in the UFC, ultimately made the decision to go from MMA to boxing. Since his UFC retirement, there has been a buzz about him. After completing his existing contracts with the UFC, ‘Junior’ declared he would retire from mixed martial arts. Although there was still one bout left under the contract, UFC released ‘Junior’ so that he may pursue other possibilities. Aldo announced his retirement on September 18, 2022. The former featherweight champion soon declared his intention to take up boxing. ‘Combate’ recently reported that all arrangements for his boxing battle had been made.
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The Boxing Debut of Jose Aldo
The 36-year-old will square off with Emmanuel Zambrano in his native Brazil. The match will be held in Rio de Janeiro’s Upper Arena on Feb 10. However, based on his 0-2 record, Zambrano, his Argentinian opponent, does not appear to have a good boxing future. Aldo, who has a record of 31-8, of which 13-7 are victories in the UFC, might not find it difficult to defeat his opponent.
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The weight division in which they will compete, though, has not yet been determined. There is a good probability that they will both compete in the 63.5 kg division. Through his social media account, Junior himself announced the match date. He wrote, “Save the date, we gon’ run this town. 10.02”. Merab Dvalishvili was Junior’s opponent in his last UFC match at UFC 278. The last, though, didn’t go well for him. He was defeated in the third round by a unanimous decision.
The spectacular UFC fighting career of Junior
Given that he was inducted into the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame at the start of the year, it appears that the Brazilian fighter has a lot in store for him in 2023. The news was revealed at UFC 283, and UFC president Dana White praised the man afterward. The WEC and UFC champion was recognized by White as one of the all-time great fighters. He mentioned that Aldo has made a significant contribution to the development of the UFC as a brand. The Brazilian fighter also made an effort to change the perceptions of those who disregarded lighter-weight classes. White says Junior displayed how one might accomplish so much in the lesser division.
Aldo first entered the UFC octagon in the wake of the 2010 merger between the WEC and the UFC. At UFC 123 in 2010, Aldo won the inaugural UFC featherweight championship title. For many years, he ruled the feather division and was successful in maintaining his championship. At UFC 194, however, a punch from his well-known rival and fellow UFC superstar Conor McGregor ended his lengthy winning streak. He defeated Rob Font, Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Renato Carneiro in his last few UFC fights.
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