‘The King of Rio’ is back where he truly belongs. After a bold run in the bantamweight division, former two-time featherweight champion José Aldo is returning to his roots to slug it out at 145lbs. However, this arrival wasn’t in the most glorious of ways. Ahead of his UFC 315 showdown with Aiemann Zahabi, the Brazilian not only missed weight by a massive 7lbs (weighing 143lbs) but also hinted at a featherweight comeback, signaling that his days at 135 pounds may finally be over. What happened, you ask? Well, let’s uncover it.

The scheduled fight between Aldo and Zahabi, originally booked as a bantamweight bout, will no longer take place at 135lbs, as the Brazilian has revealed he won’t be able to make weight, just moments before the official weigh-in. This led the UFC to inform Zahabi to stop cutting weight (who eventually weighed 142 pounds during the weigh-ins), and officially changed the bout to a featherweight contest.

“I was cutting my weight, and I just got into the blankets this morning, and I was at 136.8 pounds,” Zahabi told Sportsnet, “Firas [Zahabi] was receiving the texts and the calls to stop cutting. Jose can’t make weight, he’s 145 — there’s no way he’s gonna make the weight, and the commission in Montreal won’t allow a five-pound weight difference. There’s no 20-percent [fine], we have to do a featherweight fight. Bantamweight option is off the table completely. We renegotiated with Sean Shelby. They gave me an offer that I accepted, and the fight’s on.”

Now it’s official — the fighters will compete in the featherweight division, marking Jose Aldo’s official return to 145lbs after his move to bantamweight in 2020. Interestingly, when MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter inquired about the featherweight fight, Jose Aldo informed him that he is contemplating moving to the featherweight division forever. “Jose Aldo tells me that his aim fighting at bantamweight was to become a two-division champion. He says that he walks around at roughly 160 pounds. He has come to realize that his home is at 145 pounds, and he expects to fight at featherweight going forward.”

The last time he fought in the featherweight division was at UFC 245, where he faced Marlon Moraes. Jose Aldo lost the fight by split decision after being grounded for three long rounds. After 5 years, Aldo will be knocking on the featherweight door one again, and this decision of his has caught the fans off guard.

MMA community reacts as Jose Aldo announces a comeback to the 145lbs division

Starting off, a social media user expressed that if Aldo has decided to come back to the featherweight division, then it’s imminent that he might face Patricio Pitbull next, “Definitely should be Aldo vs Pitbull. It’s a great fight and makes a hell of a lot of sense.” For those who don’t know, Pitbull is open to the idea of fighting with the former featherweight champion, “I don’t have this desire to fight Aldo, nothing like that, but for the context, if an offer comes from the UFC, I would be happy to take it,” Pitbull told MMA Fighting. “

“I think it’s a fight that if ends up not happening, it would leave a taste like, ‘Damn, they haven’t fought each other after so much time as featherweight champions.'” he added. It should be noted that Pitbull lost his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314, and a fight with Jose Aldo might be just what he needs to get back on the hype train.

Given that, another fan has come forward to say, “Man, it would be wild if Aldo could pull off another featherweight run.” Jose Aldo lost his featherweight belt to Conor McGregor in 2015 at UFC 194 However, he reclaimed the interim title by defeating Frankie Edgar at UFC 200, and when the Irishman vacated the gold, he was upgraded to the undisputed status.

Furthermore, another social media user foresees a battle between Jean Silva and Jose Aldo: “The Jean Silva fight might actually happen.” Moreover, not her social media user believes that a battle between Aldo and either Silva or Dan Ige would be amazing, “145 Aldo is back? Awesome, Him Vs Ige or Pitbull would be cool.”

A social media user criticized Aldo for his selfishness in informing the UFC about his decision just a day before the fight: “Tell him to let his opponent and UFC know that before fight week next time.” Last but not the least, a fan emphasized, “Aldo vs Pitbull.”

With José Aldo returning to the featherweight division, could we witness another title reign from ‘The King of Rio’? Share your thoughts in the comments below!