“I don’t think he wants to be here.”
That’s what Jonathan Martinez said as he questioned the motive behind Jose Aldo’s return to the UFC.
Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC), a former UFC and WEC featherweight champion, makes his highly-anticipated return to MMA Saturday against Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro.
Martinez thinks Aldo is returning to MMA for the wrong reasons and doesn’t think the Brazilian is taking him seriously.
“They got him back because they needed someone on this card, so they called on him,” Martinez explained in an interview in Spanish with MMA Junkie. “He was already retired, doing boxing, and I just think they paid him more to get him on this card.
“Also, in every interview, he says he wants to box and wants to get on that Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card. I think he thinks this fight is going to be easy because that’s like a month and a half away. I hope he’s not sleeping on me because something can happen.”
Aldo retired almost two years ago. He did have a few fights in boxing, but he was formally retired from MMA. He even got inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame last year.
Although Martinez sees Aldo distracted, he’s expecting, and he prepared for the best version of him, and he’s confident getting a win will place him favorably in the division.
“Getting a win over him will put me close to that top five, and that’s what I’m looking for,” Martinez said. “I know this is a tough fight, and I’m training hard for it, and I’m confident. I know I prepared well, and you guys will see on Saturday.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 301.
