RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – MAY 3: (LR) Brazilian opponents Jose Aldo and Jonathan Martinez face off at the ceremonial weigh-in for UFC 301 on May 3, 2024 at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. . (Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC, Getty Images)
Jose Aldo’s return arrived Saturday at UFC 301, where the “King of Rio” attempted an upset against Jonathan Martinez.
Aldo took a break from MMA following his loss to Merab Dvalishvili, but was on a winning streak before the setback and has since dabbled in boxing. He was also a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, but the allure of at least one last step toward the cage seemed too strong.
Martinez had won six straight heading into Saturday’s showdown with the former featherweight champion. Martinez, ranked 12th at 135 pounds, suffered two TKOs with leg kicks during that run.
When the starting bell rang, Aldo stepped forward with his guard up while Martinez probed with leg kicks. Aldo threw punches to the body but narrowly missed and blocked Martinez’s kick. Aldo himself is used to the kicking game, and he sometimes threw powerful low kicks. This time, Aldo tore him apart and landed, immediately causing Martinez to retreat, albeit momentarily. With just over a minute left, Aldo’s right hand collided with Martinez. Aldo ripped away and suddenly Martinez seemed to be watching and was a second too late to react.
In the second round, Martinez managed to equalize against the cage, but the Brazilian crowd was very unhappy and booed the American. Aldo persisted with an overhook, but the two men reached a stalemate and the referee urged them to be more aggressive. There were boos again and another warning from referee Mike Beltran, who ultimately elected to restart the pair outside. This landed a right hand from Aldo, but Martinez cut him back with a left. Aldo fought back! The pair certainly swung hard and both landed, but Aldo seemed to have more success.
As chants for Aldo erupted in the arena, the two engaged in a back-and-forth battle, circling each other and mainly competing in a pretty decent boxing match. That may not be surprising considering Aldo was competing there just before Saturday. Aldo tore his body apart, but Martinez stayed with Aldo, albeit with a much lower number of kicks than he showed in his early days. The pair ended the round with a final exchange, both landing.
Martinez appeared to become more aggressive in the third round, but Aldo attacked with a knee in the opening 90 seconds, halting Jonathan’s momentum. Martinez went with a kick to the body. Aldo fired back as well. Martinez remained right in the former champion’s face, but Jose Aldo needs something explosive from Martinez and is likely to be on top on the scorecards. But it was Aldo who rocked his opponent with a left and then went for the kill, peppering Martinez with a flurry of punches and knees as he stumbled. Aldo then landed a big takedown, forcing Martinez onto his back with emphasis. Aldo had a little over a minute left and he found himself guarding. Martinez, not known for back submissions, will need to find a way to scramble free. Instead, Aldo moved to half guard, but Martinez would move back to guard.
What Jonathan Martinez didn’t try to get back was his legs, which ended the match on his back, leaving no doubt that Jose Aldo’s return was a success.
Official result: Jose Aldo def. Jonathan Martinez unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
