With Cub Swanson out of the picture, Jose Aldo has been matched up with Renato Moicano at next year’s UFC Fortaleza.
A pair of Brazilian featherweights are set to collide at UFC Fortaleza next year. As first reported by MMA Junkie, Jose Aldo and Renato Moicano is in the process of being booked for the event, numerically UFC Fight Night 144. Aldo had recently been rumored to take part in a bout with former foe Cub Swanson, but Swanson had publicly stated that he couldn’t make the date. Instead of moving forward with that booking, it appears the UFC has opted to pit the former 145lb champ against Moicano, who served as a back-up fighter for Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega at UFC 231 earlier this month.
Aldo most recently competed in July at UFC on FOX 30 in Calgary, Alberta. There, he finished the always tough Jeremy Stephens, scoring a first round TKO in the Canadian city. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for ‘Scarface,’ after back-to-back losses against current featherweight champion Max Holloway.
Overall, Aldo is 2-3 in his last five, with a loss to Conor McGregor and win over Frankie Edgar also in play. Between 2006 and 2014, however, Aldo remained perfect.
Moicano (13-1-1) is currently on a two-fight winning streak, having defeated Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson in his last two outings. His only loss as a pro came against Brian Ortega, who came up short in his own bid for the title at UFC 231 just days ago.
UFC Fortaleza, which is set to be the second show for the promotion on ESPN+, takes place February 2, 2019 at the Northeast Olympic Training Center in Fortaleza, Brazil. Marlon Moraes and Raphael Assuncao meet for the second time in the evening’s main event.
