Aldo Thinking About Move to Bantamweight

Jose Aldo already pulled off one surprise this year when he announced he was signing a contract extension with the UFC. Now, he may have another swerve up his sleeve — a move to bantamweight.

Per an interview with Combate, Aldo is expressing interest in possibly moving down to 135. With two losses to the current featherweight champion, Max Holloway, and one to the expected next title challenger, Alexander Volkanovski the possibility of Aldo getting another crack at the championship he held for years may be slim. While he has previously expressed possibly fighting at lightweight, Aldo feels he could make bantamweight and do well for himself there.

In fact, he is already calling out the division’s champion, champ-champ Henry Cejudo.

“At that time we were thinking, wondering, the best possibility of [fighting for] the belt again,” Aldo said. “I sat with everyone, I did a study, I think I have a real chance of hitting the weight of 61kg [135]. It is in this new category that I will try to migrate, I am asking for [a title shot]. That’s what matters to me now.

“Cejudo said he’s open to anyone, so I’m open to that, I want the opportunity to fight him and beat him. Then I can even think about going up again, back to [featherweight or lightweight]. Since it is open, I am accepting this challenge and hope in the near future to make this [fight].”

Aldo previously said that 2019 would be his last year in active MMA competition, and at one point expressed a desire to jump to boxing. But he caught everyone by surprise in June when he signed an extension with the UFC.

After losing a rematch to Holloway at UFC 218, Aldo rebounded with wins over Jeremy Stephens and Renato Moicano before a loss to Volkanovski at UFC 237 in May.

Cejudo, meanwhile, won the flyweight championship from Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227 and retained it at UFC Brooklyn against TJ Dillashaw, before winning the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 238, defeating Marlon Moraes.

Cejudo has plans to defend both belts, but a shoulder injury will keep him out of action until 2020.

“He is an aggressive fighter who has been going through a good time,” Aldo said. “Won the fight against [Marlen Moraes] standing, which no one expected, have to respect. For me it’s great, it’s a good size for me, [he] has a fighting style that I like a lot, that fits my game well. Whether it is with him or not, I think of being adapted to the weight, fast, hard, which will be the differential for me in this category.”

Original Story: Combate