5 Jose Aldo fights that never happened

4) Aldo vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

UFC 205: Weigh-ins

Another Jose Aldo fight that never happened was one against former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. It may come as a surprise, but that was in fact the case. Although Khabib and Aldo competed at different weight-classes, there was an opportunity for them to meet in the octagon at 155lbs. In December 2016, there were discussions about Aldo moving up to lightweight for a bout with Khabib.

Khabib came off a win over Michael Johnson and was viewed as one of the top contenders in the division. With that in mind, Aldo saw fighting Khabib as an opportunity to get a rematch with then-UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.

There’s clearly no love lost between the two. Khabib was dismissive of the idea of Aldo peaking again at bantamweight after his loss to Petr Yan. That didn’t sit well with Aldo, who didn’t hold back in his response.

“Sometimes Khabib talks too much. He’s not doing much these days, he’s retired, so he’s looking for [attention] that way," Jose Aldo said on the Trocação Franca podcast.

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3) Aldo vs. Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis

Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis vs. Carlos Ferreira

Another Jose Aldo fight that never happened was against Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis. The bout between then-UFC featherweight champion Aldo and Pettis looked like it was set to headline UFC 163. However, Pettis withdrew after sustaining an injury and was replaced by Chan Sung Jung.

At the time, Pettis was a top lightweight contender and Aldo had defended his title against former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Fans were excited about the two former WEC champions going at it.

Pettis became famous in WEC for his iconic showtime kick that saw him run off the cage in order to drop Benson Henderson. Aldo on the other hand, was known for his knockout power, which was on full display in the WEC. Pettis competed at featherweight twice, but neither of those bouts were against Aldo.