Aldo makes a triumphant return to the Octagon by defeating ranked Martinez in Rio after a two-year hiatus, showcasing his skills and experience in UFC 301.
In the co-main event of this evening, the ‘King of Rio’ came down from his natural category to challenge Jonathan Martinez, ranked 12th in the under 61 kg category. In front of his audience in Brazil, ‘Junior’ had to make fans dream.
Round 1: The Brazilian takes the center of the cage and tries to frame Martinez. The latter responds with good leg kicks. With his left guard, the Mexican poses some problems for the former featherweight champion… But José Aldo still manages to place some nice combinations.
Round 2: In the clinch, Jonathan Martinez blocks ‘Junior’ against the cage. Standing up, the ‘King of Rio’ delights with a foot-fist sequence that hits Martinez in the body and head.
KING pic.twitter.com/tJDeUrRduy
— Nobody (@ghost_of_mma) May 5, 2024
Round 3: In boxing, Aldo puts on a show and hits ‘Dragon’ with some nice combinations. The Brazilian manages to shake Martinez, then completes a magnificent takedown before gaining the upper hand on the ground. At 37 years old, José Aldo achieved a superb performance!
🚨🚨 KING IS BACK 🇧🇷👑José Aldo wins by unanimous decision against Martinez. WHAT A PERFORMANCE 🤯
🚨🚨 عودة الملك 🇧🇷👑خوسيه ألدو يفوز بإجماع الحكام بعد مستوى تاريخيعلى مارتينيز. يا له من أداء 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wcmtnoLefz
— mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) May 5, 2024
In the end, ‘Junior’ Aldo won by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). The ‘King of Rio’ validates his return to the UFC, at home in Brazil.
With this success, ‘Scarface’ improves his record to 32-8 in MMA. For Jonathan Martinez, this is his first defeat since 2021… Before this fight, ‘Dragon’ was on a streak of 6 consecutive victories.
