Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will compete in a grappling event on October 4, his first combat sports appearance since retiring from mixed martial arts following a unanimous-decision loss to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 on May 10, 2025.
Aldo fought 42 times in MMA and held the UFC featherweight championship on two occasions, beating the likes of Urijah Faber, Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes along the way.
Although he was renowned for his striking, with 17 of his 32 wins coming by knockout, Aldo also holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and competed in grappling before beginning his professional MMA career.
In just over five weeks, Aldo will return to those grappling roots against former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Vera. Aldo and Vera will compete in a submission-only grappling match at a Hype FC event at Coliseo General Rumiñahui in Quito, Ecuador.
It will not be the first time Aldo and Vera have competed against each other. Aldo defeated Vera 29-28 on all three scorecards to earn a unanimous-decision victory at UFC Fight Night on December 19, 2020, in Las Vegas.