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Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo won his professional boxing debut on Friday. And now he wants Floyd Mayweather Jr.
In his first competition since retiring from mixed martial arts last year, Aldo took on Emmanuel Zambrano during a Shooto Boxing event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They battled for six, three-minute rounds with Aldo clearly dominating the action. After the 140-pound contest concluded, “The King of Rio” was declared the victor via unanimous decision.
Aldo spoke with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz after the event about Mayweather, and the Brazilian said a deal had been agreed to by both parties. “His side has already agreed, my side too,” Aldo said. “We’re now waiting for [the promoters] to get the deal done.”
First, Aldo has a date with a former Octagon opponent: Jeremy Stephens. They’re scheduled to box on April 1 during Gamebred Boxing 4. They initially fought at featherweight in July 2018 and the former 145-pound king stopped the hard-hitting Stephens via first-round TKO.
And if all goes well, expect Aldo to press for the “Money” fight. “It might be exhibition on [Mayweather’s] side, but not for me,” Aldo said. “It’s punch to the face like always. He knows that.”
Aldo Called Himself the Greatest Brazilian Fighter Ever
Numerous fighting legends have come out of Brazil, including Anderson Silva, the Nogueira brothers, Rafael dos Anjos and Charles Oliveira. But according to Aldo, he is the greatest ever combatant to represent the South American country.
“That´s easy, myself,” Aldo said in an interview with the YouTube channel “Cara a Tapa” in September (transcribed via Sherdog.com). “I won the title twice, dropped my weight, and I could very well get an opportunity to fight for the title again. I respect everyone’s history, but I’m the best. I took on a new challenge, I lowered my [weight class], I lined up everyone, I did it for the title, I lost, I recovered again and I was doing well until I stumbled again. I’m the [best Brazilian] in history.”
Aldo also gave his take on who the greatest mixed martial artist of all time is, regardless of country. And the man who takes the top spot in Aldo’s eyes is heavyweight icon Fedor Emelianenko.
“Of achievements like that, [there is] Demetrious Johnson, who is a [lighter] weight that nobody talks about because he is tiny. But Georges was also a big name,” Aldo said. “But for me, [it’s] Fedor. For me, he’s one of the icons. When the guy stayed 10 years [undefeate]), I said: ‘Damn, I want to beat this guy’s record.’”
Aldo Retired From MMA as a Top-10 Bantamweight, Lost His Final Octagon Appearance
Prior to The King of Rio retiring from MMA, he had built a three-fight win streak in the bantamweight division heading into his bout with Merab Dvalishvi. Unfortunately for Aldo, his momentum was halted by the Georgian at UFC 278 in August 2020 via unanimous decision.
Aldo walked away from the sport a few months later, parting ways with the promotion. He has a professional mixed martial arts record of 31-8. He’s viewed by many as the greatest featherweight ever, which is a claim bolstered by two UFC title reigns, as well as him being the final WEC 145-pound champion.
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