Rumors have begun to swirl that former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was interested in making a move down to 135 pounds. And not only that, but the rumors also indicated that Aldo was gunning for a fight with bantamweight titleholder Henry Cejudo, who also currently reigns as the promotion’s flyweight champion.
On Wednesday, Aldo confirmed these rumors to be true when he took to his official Twitter account to call out Cejudo. In recent years, the UFC has appeared to lean more towards “money fights” and matching up the sport’s biggest names against each other. For that reason, a potential bout between Cejudo and Aldo may gain a bit of traction.
@danawhite @HenryCejudo We accept the challenge. Just say when and where and I’ll be there to beat your ass and add another gnome to my collection! pic.twitter.com/1R8LDttYm1
— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) August 21, 2019
Ultimately, however, this idea should be the last thing on UFC President Dana White’s mind.
Options Galore For Henry Cejudo
It must be noted that Cejudo not only holds two titles but that he has deserving contenders awaiting him in both of those respective decisions. Essentially, he has quite a few options regarding his next bout.
Should he decide to defend his bantamweight title, which he won with a stoppage win over Marlon Moraes in June, next, a bout against consensus top contender Aljamain Sterling could be next. The Long Island native has won four-straight fights and is certainly deserving of being Cejudo’s next challenge.
In addition, Cejudo could also drop back down to flyweight where he won the title via decision against Demetrious Johnson in August 2018. If that move is indeed in the cards, longtime contender Joseph Benavidez has once again emerged as the division’s top contender.
A winner of three-straight, Benavidez has certainly earned another crack at the title. Cejudo and Benavidez also have a bit of history, as Benavidez scored a decision victory over “The Messenger” in a 2016 bout. And on top of that, White recently said that this is the bout he hopes to make.
Simply put, Cejudo has fights he can take in each division that he currently holds a title in. Despite Aldo’s legacy as an all-time great, he hasn’t done anything to warrant a title shot against Cejudo. And, the former 145-pound kingpin likely has better options as well.
A Smarter Move For Jose Aldo
There’s no denying that Aldo ranks amongst the best fighters to have ever competed in mixed martial arts. There’s also certainly an argument that can be made for him being the best 145 pounder of all-time. It’s also true, however, that his days at featherweight could be over.
After losing his title to Conor McGregor in 2015, Aldo reclaimed the strap with a decision win over Frankie Edgar the following year. Since then, however, he’s lost three of five fights. That includes back-to-back stoppage losses to current champion Max Holloway in 2017. Aldo also dropped a decision to top contender Alexander Volkanovski earlier this year.
At this point, Aldo’s path to another title shot at featherweight is cloudy at best. Because of that, a change in weight certainly makes sense. Him discussing a move to bantamweight, however, is surprising, to say the least.
First off, Aldo has always been quite a large featherweight. It’s not out of line to question whether or not he could even make the bantamweight limit. He has, however, claimed that he can. But regardless, it just doesn’t seem like the best decision.
Instead, Aldo should consider a move up in weight to 155 pounds. This is a move that many have discussed for years. Not only would it appear healthier, but there are many intriguing fights that he could chase at lightweight. Those include a potential rematch with McGregor or perhaps a long sought after fight against Anthony Pettis.
The Bottom Line
In the end, the idea of a fight between Cejudo and Aldo simply doesn’t make much sense. Cejudo should defend one of his two titles against a deserving contender. Aldo should consider moving up in weight and chasing big fights instead of depleting his body even more.
But regardless of what either man does, White should not even be considering matching the two against each other.
