Jose Aldo is all set to mark his return to the Octagon at UFC 301. Following the news of his imminent return, the fans have been looking forward to seeing the legend fight again. However, one particular individual is not getting carried away with nostalgia and has some nasty plans in store for the Brazilian.
Previously, it was revealed that Jose Aldo will be returning to action at UFC 301 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Having announced his retirement in 2022, a comeback was not on anybody’s bingo card for the year. That said, he is ready to be the co-main event of the evening and hopefully roll back the years with an exciting performance.
The King of Rio is making his return to the Octagon! 🇧🇷@JonathanMyda takes on @JoseAldoJunior at #UFC301 pic.twitter.com/TrgrkZAdn0
— UFC (@ufc) March 20, 2024
Standing on the other side to spoil his homecoming will be the #12 ranked Jonathan Martinez as he looks to keep his hot streak going. Having claimed some big wins against the likes of Cub Swanson, Said Nurmagomedov, and Adrian Yanez recently, Martinez is seemingly in the best form of his life and will look to capitalize on it when he faces Jose Aldo at UFC 301.
Jose Aldo and Jonathan Martinez had a heated first encounter
Coming into the fight, there was a lot of talk about how the fans may potentially see Jose Aldo inside the Octagon for the final time in his career. However, as ‘Junior’ revealed recently, he simply needed a break from fighting after a career spanning nearly two decades that has seen him stay active throughout. Whilst he believes that he can put together a run for the title once again, it will only be determined after Saturday night.
Ahead of fight night, Aldo came face to face with Jonathan Martinez for the first time at the UFC 301 media day faceoffs. Seeing that Martinez was getting the opportunity to fight a living legend, many expected him to be respectful and show some humility. However, his reaction was the exact opposite, immediately getting in Aldo’s face, with a certain disrespect and fire.
Aldo and Martinez got HEATED 😳
The first face-offs for UFC 301…#UFC301 | Saturday | LIVE on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/BHciEnajjK
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) May 2, 2024
For the most part, ‘Dragon’ has shown that his leg kicks are some of the nastiest in the business and have fetched him a couple of finishes already. Ahead of the fight, fans have been a little skeptical of how Jose Aldo will deal with it, especially seeing that he is not the same fleet-footed and swift fighter he once was. Thus, how Aldo fares in this fight, plays a massive role in the future of his second UFC tenure.
Fans react to Jose Aldo and Jonathan Martinez’s fiery faceoff
Naturally, many were left rather surprised by the interaction between Jose Aldo and Jonathan Martinez. Whilst the faceoff between headliners Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg was on a much somber note, the co-main event fighters seemingly could not wait to get their hands on each other. That said, the aggression from Aldo and Martinez could well be what the event needs in order to garner the hype and attention it so desperately needs.
As a result, fans soon took to social media to speak about the same. Seeing Aldo getting heated up was a sight that fight fans have not seen for a long, long time. Notably, an instance that may come to mind is the buildup to his legendary fight against Conor McGregor in 2015. Whilst this is nothing close to what transpired then, it is certainly one of the rare occasions that Jose’s aggression has been on show.
As it turns out, Aldo was initially offered Dominick Cruz as his opponent for this fight. However, due to an injury to Cruz, the Brazilian was open to any other highly-ranked contender as well. Instead, the UFC gave him the dangerous Jonathan Martinez to contend with. Thus, Aldo will need to bring his form of old in order to pose a challenge and ensure that he doesn’t get retired for a second time already.
