The return of Jose Aldo arrived at UFC 301 on Saturday, where “The King of Rio” attempted to mount a comeback opposite Jonathan Martinez.
Aldo had stepped away from MMA after a loss to Merab Dvalishvili, but had been on a win streak prior to the setback, and had dabbled in boxing since. He’d also been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, but the allure of at least one last walk to the cage appeared too strong.
Martinez had won six straight coming into Saturday’s showdown with the former featherweight champ. Ranked 12th at 135lbs, Martinez had two leg kick TKOs during that run.
Off the opening bell, Aldo pressed forward, guard up, while Martinez probed with his leg kicks. Aldo fired to the body with a punch, falling just short, and checked a Martinez kick. Aldo would also fired off a heavy low kick of his own, no stranger to the kicking game himself. This time, when Aldo ripped the body, he landed, and soon had Martinez backing up, if only for a moment. An Aldo right hand crashed into Martinez with just over a minute on the clock. Aldo ripped the body, and suddenly, Martinez seemed to be watching, and reacting a second too late.
In round two, Martinez managed to tie things up along the cage, much to the displeasure of the Brazilian crowd, who serenaded the American with boos. Aldo held on with an overhook and the pair appeared at a stalemate, with the ref encouraging them to get active. Another volley of boos, another warning from ref Mike Beltran, and he finally opted to restart the pair out in the open. That led to an Aldo right hand landing, but Martinez cracked back with a left. Aldo returned fire! The pair were certainly swinging hard, with both landing but Aldo appearing to have more success.
With an Aldo chant breaking out in the arena the pair continued their back-and-forth, circling one another and competing mainly in a fairly decent boxing match. Perhaps not surprising, given that was exactly where Aldo had been competing prior to Saturday. Aldo ripped the body, but Martinez continued to stay with him, albeit with far fewer kicks than he had displayed early. The pair finished the round with one final exchange, both men landing.
Martinez looked to get more active in round three, but it was Aldo, 90 seconds in, attacking with knees and halting Jonathan’s momentum. Martinez went to the body with a kick; Aldo returned fire in kind. Martinez, game, stayed right in the former champ’s face, but Jose Aldo was likely ahead on the scorecards with Martinez in need of something explosive. But it was Aldo rocking his opponent with a left, then moving in for the kill, firing punches and knees at a wobbled Martinez. Aldo then landed a huge takedown, putting Martinez on his back with emphasis. Aldo found himself in guard with just over a minute on the clock; Martinez, not known for submissions off his back, was going to need to find a way to scramble free. Instead, Aldo moved to half-guard, though Martinez would reclaim guard.
What Jonathan Martinez would not reclaim was his feet, finishing the fight on his back and leaving no question that Jose Aldo’s comeback had been successful.
Official Result: Jose Aldo def. Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
