Jose Aldo’s retirement will wind up being a little less than two years long.
The UFC Hall of Famer and former featherweight champion is ending his MMA retirement for a home fight against Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro on May 4.
Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) will make a return to MMA for Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC), who has had three boxing matches since he left the UFC. Aldo announced his retirement from MMA following a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in August 2022.
He’s 37, and he has one of the toughest tests in the bantamweight division in Martinez, who has straight wins, including against Adrian Yanez and Cub Swanson.
Naturally, though, we’re wondering if this move is a wise one for Aldo – and perhaps even why fighters can’t seem to say they quit and stay quit. This week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells and Mike Bohn break down the matchup and Aldo’s decision with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.
