37-year-old Jose Aldo is all set to feature at UFC 301 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil next. The former champion will be taking on Jonathan Martinez for the co-main event fight of the night. Martinez is currently the #12 ranked fighter in the bantamweight division and is unbeaten in his last six fights.

Aldo announced his retirement from the sport in 2022 and has not been active since then. However, an opportunity to feature at UFC 301 in his hometown propelled him to change his mind. But why exactly did he come out of retirement?

UFC legend explains the reason behind retirement U-turn

Jose Aldo was last seen inside the octagon at UFC 278 when he took on Merab Dvalishvili in the bantamweight division. Not only did the Brazilian lose the fight, he even announced his retirement from the sport after it. Two years down the line, the former champion has finally returned to the sport, much to the delight of the fans. Aldo decided to make a return to the sport just for the love of it. He still has one fight left in his contract and gave no second thoughts when the offer came to him.

The 37-year-old revealed through a translator at UFC 301 media day as quoted by MMA Fighting, “When I started talking to Dana [White] and Sean [Shelby] about my comeback, there was no plans for Rio, no names, opponents, or anything,”. Aldo further added, “At first the name that we were talking about was Dominick Cruz. We were set to fight Dominick Cruz, but he had some problems with his camp and we got Jonathan Martinez, and it just ended up being in Rio, so it was a coincidence.” 

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Although his return to Rio was a coincidence, the Brazilian fans are super excited about it. It will allow them to witness their hometown hero in action from close quarters. However, Aldo will have to be at his best against his next opponent at UFC 301. But why exactly did he choose to fight Jonathan Martinez?

Why is Jose Aldo fighting Jonathan Martinez on his return?

When the fight between Jose Aldo and Jonathan Martinez was announced, most of the fans were surprised. One of the biggest reasons for the disapproval is the current fighting form of Martinez. The 30-year-old is on a six-fight winning streak and is a growing name in the bantamweight division. Fans were desperate to see Aldo taking on Dominick Cruz on his return. However, the former champion was never interested in taking on Cruz in his comeback fight.

Speaking about the same, Aldo said, “I think the fans have been waiting to watch that fight. Two former champions from the WEC days, two former UFC champions, but he’s not the one that I asked for. I wanted to get someone in the top five. That’s specifically what I asked the UFC. Dominick is coming off a series of losses, Jonathan Martinez is coming off a bunch of wins.”

At 37 Aldo will have his work cut out against an opponent 7-years younger than him. Can he replicate his past heroics at UFC 301? Let us know your prediction in the comments below.