Jose Aldo’s UFC 301 victory over Jonathan Martinez was undoubtedly impressive, but bantamweight contestant Cory Sandhagen is against the idea of giving the former champion his next title shot.
Aldo hung up his gloves after losing a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili in August 2022, but “Junior” recently announced his retirement as co-headliner of UFC 301 in Brazil. . Aldo ruled out a unanimous decision shutout victory on May 4th at Farmasi Arena.
The fight between Aldo and Martinez marked the end of his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, but the Brazilian is open to re-signing with the promotion if he matches the best offer. The ‘King of Rio’ also hopes to jump the line for a title soon.
Jose Aldo said in his post-fight press conference that although his contract with the UFC is complete, he intends to discuss his future with Dana White as the promotion still has the option to take on any offers that come their way. Ta. He liked the idea of skipping straight to the bantamweight title.
— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz)
May 5, 2024
However, Sandhagen believes Aldo’s victory over 12th-ranked Martinez is not enough to give him another shot at the title.
“Oh, no way. [should Aldo fight Sean
O’Malley next] Man. I love Aldo. Aldo is an absolute man. But he can’t come out of retirement and beat guys way down the rankings and then just fight for the belt,” Sandhagen said on The MMA Hour. “I like Aldo, but that’s never the case. There are too many good players in this division for that to happen.”
No. 1-ranked Merab Dvalishvili is expected to aim for the long-awaited title in his next fight against O’Malley. Meanwhile, Sandhagen is scheduled to face undefeated title contender Umar Nurmagomedov (17-0) in a title eliminator at UFC Abu Davion on August 3.
