UFC Hall of Famer Teases Boxing Return Next Year After Second MMA Retirement

UFC legend Jos Aldo has opened the door to a potential return to fighting at some point next
year.

Considered by many to the greatest featherweight fighter in the history of MMA, Aldo retired
from the sport for a second time last year following a unanimous decision loss to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315.

The 40-year-old hasn't competed in any sort of organized combat sport since then, but he is scheduled to meet former opponent and current UFC bantamweight contender Marlon "Chito" Vera in a headlining grappling match for Hype FC on October 4.

UFC Hall of Famer Jos Aldo Open to Boxing Return in 2027

While meeting Vera in a grappling match is a relatively low-risk way for Aldo to keep active, long time fans know that it's the Brazilian's striking ability that helped him become such a successful and feared force in MMA.

"Junior"initially retired from the UFC in 2022 before making the jump to boxing the following year, and this week Aldo told Guilherme Cruz that he could return to the boxing ring in 2027 for the right price.

"Boxing is much more possible for us do to, because I know I'm going to make a lot more money," Aldo explained. "That's what matters. If an opportunity comes up, like it did, whenever one comes up I say 'For me to fight, it's this much. If you don't want it, I don't care.'...You can leave me here, because I'm happy taking care of my family."

More than a year after Merab Dvalishvili ended his three-fight bantamweight win streak at UFC 278 and encouraged the Brazilian to announce his first MMA retirement, Aldo made his boxing debut for Shooto Brazil in early 2023 and took a unanimous decision over Emmanuel Zambrano.

"Junior" Reveals He's Still Under Contract With the UFC

The former UFC champion moved on to Gamebred Boxing less than two months later and fought to a draw with fellow UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens, and a return to Shooto in July of that year saw him also best Esteban Espindola on the scorecards.

It appears that Aldo would prefer to stay in his home country if he were to accept another boxing match, as he went on to cite Brazil-based combat sports promotion Spaten Fight Night as a potential landing spot.

"Thank God, athletes are well compensated at Spaten, so that's very good. It's no coincidence that any athlete who comes in, for the amount they offer you, they fight. Unlike any other event that comes up and says 'You're going to fight an influencer', or something like that. Please, come on. Spaten is totally different, so I talked to them a lot."

Several former UFC stars like Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva have already competed in boxing with Spaten Fight Night, but Aldo also noted that a return to boxing would require him to ask the UFC first given that he's still under contract with the promotion after retiring again last year.

"The thing is, I have to ask the UFC for permission, because I have three fights left [on my contract] and I don't know when those three fights are going to expire."

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Hall of Famer Teases Boxing Return Next Year After Second MMA Retirement.