José Aldo Only Accepting Title Fight or Brian Ortega at Featherweight

Widely recognized as the greatest featherweight of all time, José Aldo is not giving up on reclaiming the championship he held for so long. The last time we saw Aldo compete in the Octagon, he scored a TKO victory over Jeremy Stephens at UFC on FOX: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2, and Aldo believes that victory is enough to earn him another title shot opportunity at featherweight. The reported main event for UFC 231 will be Max Holloway defending his featherweight championship against Brian Ortega in the main event. What is most important for Aldo right now is that he is placed on this card to put himself in a position for another opportunity at regaining the featherweight strap should someone fall out of the main event:

“That fight between Holloway and Brian is booked,” Aldo said. “And I hope it happens. I hope Max is okay and can put on a great fight and let the division move. To me, I don’t care if it’s at featherweight or lightweight, what matters is fighting at that card. I had already asked for it before that fight was booked, so for me it’s great because we know that if anything happens, we can fight for the belt, so I will get ready.”

José Aldo wants a fight at UFC 231 at all costs, even if it is at lightweight. But contrary to other reports circulating the Internet, Aldo’s primary goal is not to move to lightweight. The division would just be a means to an end to get on the same card as Max Holloway and Brian Ortega, especially considering the fact that José Aldo is refusing to fight anyone ranked beneath him in the featherweight division:

“I can’t say there’s an ideal guy at featherweight because they’re all behind me,” Aldo said. “They are all trying to promote themselves to get to a title fight, and they all know I’m ahead of them. Especially if Brian wins, if he wins there’s no other option (to challenge Ortega). That’s what we’re waiting for. There’s no reason for me to fight (them) now. In the future, yes, I want to fight them all because that’s how I always was, fighting the best. If they are the best, I want to fight the best.”

It would appear that José Aldo is seeking a no-lose situation. If he were to fight at lightweight and lose at UFC 231, in his mind, that would not affect his standing as the #1 contender, particularly if Brian Ortega becomes champion. If he were to accept a featherweight bout, there would be nothing to gain and something to lose should he be defeated. Although several outlets have interpreted Aldo’s willingness to fight at lightweight at UFC 231 as him moving up a weight class, that is false, as Aldo said in no uncertain terms who he really wants next:

“There’s only Brian ahead of me, so he’s the guy I want to fight, and I know that. I’m waiting for that.”