Jose Aldo, former UFC Featherweight Champion and one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time, is all set to make his debut in the squared circle, as the Brazilian’s professional boxing debut is targeted for 10th February.
Hailed as the greatest featherweight fighter of all time and one of the best MMA fighters of all time, Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) dropped the curtain on his MMA career in September last year.
The 36-year-old, who was the fourth and final WEC Featherweight Champion, became the UFC’s first ever Featherweight titlist following the UFC-WEC merger in 2010 and reigned as champ for four years. In 2016, he once again won the interim Featherweight title and was later promoted to undisputed status.
However, it turned out that Aldo will be back in action, this time, in the squared circle. Anatoliy Sulyanov, the founder of Hardcore Boxing, recently revealed that the Brazilian was set to make his pro boxing debut in March in Dubai.
“On March 18th there will be a big Hardcore Boxing event in Dubai. I’m not going to tell you the names yet, but Jose Aldo and most likely even Sergey “Crusher” Kovalev will be on the card. Aldo will fight with 99.9 percent probability, we’re negotiating with Sergey now,” said Sulyanov. [H/T telecomasia]
Later, it was revealed that Aldo’s boxing debut will be happening at a sooner date, as reports from MMAFighting.com cited 10th February to be the date when Aldo wears the gloves, with a venue expected in Brazil. However, any lead on Aldo’s opponent, or the number of rounds, is yet to be known.
Following his retirement, Aldo hinted that he won’t be moving away from combat sports, and tipped a possible future move to boxing.
“I’m trying to see the best path I’ll take right now,” Aldo said to MMAFighting. “I won’t fight MMA, that’s for sure. I thank everybody calling me from other promotions, but I haven’t left the UFC, I remain under contract with them. I’ll see where I’ll fit… Boxing is a possibility. It was always a dream I had in my life, I never hid that from anyone. It was always a dream. But let’s see. Everybody says I’m still young, that I have a few years [left]. First, for now, with the birth of my son, I want to enjoy my family, and then I’ll think of the professional side.”
Brazilain president Jair Bolsonaro reportedly at Jose Aldo’s home in Florida
Over the past few weeks, Aldo’s right wing political inclination has become a topic of much discussion over the past few weeks, along with his support for the current Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro.
The controversial right-wing politician is also currently living at Aldo’s home in Florida, during when Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed the Palácio do Planalto (presidential palace), Supreme Federal Court, and the congress building in the Brazilian capital, in a similar manner to how Donald Trump’s followers stormed into the US Capitol building in 2021.
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