Former UFC featherweight champion and current no. 5 ranked bantamweight Jose Aldo is set to fight for the first time in 2021 as he will face no. 9 ranked bantamweight Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265 on Saturday.
Prior to his victory over Marlon Vera at UFC Vegas 17, Aldo suffered a three fight losing streak.
He said while he did have some self-doubt, he believed in his skill and knew he could bounce back.
“Yeah, of course a few doubts happen because I was not used to losing,” Aldo said through a translator at UFC 265 media day. “But I was confident that I know how good I am. So, I just needed to be careful and I knew at a certain point that victory would come again.”
Aldo also said he very much looks forward to fighting in front of a crowd again. His past two fights against Marlon Vera and Petr Yan were both without fans.
“It’s very important to have the crowd. My last fight was pretty quiet, it looks like a funeral,” Aldo said. “I’m happy that I’m gonna have the crowd back.”
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Aldo then turned his attention to his opponent.
Munhoz has split his last two fights.
He lost a split decision to Frankie Edgar in August 2020, but got back in the win column with a unanimous decision victory over Jimmie Rivera at UFC Vegas 20 earlier this year in February.
Despite his loss to Edgar, many believed ‘The Young Punisher’ won that fight.
Aldo acknowledged how much of a challenge Munhoz will present as an opponent.
“He’s a very very tough guy. He has a lot of fights in this weight division,” Aldo said. “But he’s aggressive like me. So that’s good for me because of my size so I can find a way to victory.”
With both fighters possessing a fan-friendly fight style and top ten implications at stake in the bantamweight division, this contest certainly has potential for a fight of the night.
Jose Aldo on getting back in the win column, having fans back, and his thoughts on Pedro Munhoz