Aldo, Martinez Separated During Heated Staredown

Jose Aldo is not just here to collect a paycheck.

The former UFC featherweight champion is FIRED UP for his UFC 301 return, where “Junior” will throw down against rising bantamweight sensation Jonathan Martinez in the pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, scheduled for this Sat. night (May 4, 2024) at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Watch them come face-to-face in the embedded video above.

“I think that’s every fighter’s goal, to fight for that championship,” Aldo told CBS Sports. “I needed my time off and had my time off. I recovered and now I’m back. Fighting for the belt and becoming the champion, becoming the best, that’s of course what my goal will be. This is the last fight on my contract. When I started talking to Sean [Shelby] and Dana [White] in January, we talked about signing a new deal. But I decided against it because I want to go in there and I need to show them, myself and everyone where I’m at, what I can still do and how I can still perform.”

Aldo (31-8) turns 38 in September.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 301 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.