"Proper retirement match" - Fans react to Jose Aldo's reported UFC 301 return against top-15 bantamweight in Rio De Janeiro

Jose Aldo's reported comeback fight has got MMA fans talking online.

According to the Brazilian news outlet Ag. Fight, Aldo is scheduled to face No. 14-ranked Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. The event is scheduled for May 4 and will take place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

MMA journalist Marcel Dorff tweeted the news, which got the attention of fight fans outside Brazil:

"Jonathan Martinez will fight Jose Aldo at #UFC30 on May 4th. [first rep. @AgFight]"

Fans gave mixed reactions to the news.

@Duhhky commented:

"Proper retirement match."

@JohnBranniganUK commented:

"Can't wait to see 'The King of Rio' back in the octagon!"

Catch more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

Jose Aldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest featherweight champions in UFC history. The 37-year-old defended the WEC and UFC featherweight title nine consecutive times (seven times in the UFC), defeating some of the best fighters in the division.

In the later years of his career, Aldo attempted to achieve greatness in a second division and fought Petr Yan at UFC 251 for the vacant UFC bantamweight title. Despite a good effort, 'Scarface' lost via fifth-round TKO.

Aldo retired from MMA following a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili in August 2022. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023. If Aldo fights at UFC 301, it will be his first UFC appearance in Rio De Janeiro since May 2019 when he fought Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 237.

UFC 301 will predictably feature many Brazilian fighters. In the main event, UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja will attempt the second defense of his title reign against Steve Erceg.

A total of 11 fights have been announced for the event so far. At the time of this writing, there has been no official announcement of Aldo vs. Martinez.