Jose Aldo reveals Dominick Cruz was originally set to be his return opponent at UFC 301

Jose Aldo was originally supposed to fight Dominick Cruz at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 4.

It was announced that Aldo will be returning to the Octagon and fighting at UFC 301 and will be taking on Jonathan Martinez. Although Martinez is a tough test for the former champ, Aldo revealed to Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter, that the original plan was for him to fight Cruz but the former champ had an injury in camp.

Just spoke with "The King of Rio" Jose Aldo, who confirmed that Dominick Cruz was initially supposed to be his opponent at UFC 301.

Aldo had heard that Cruz had an issue during his camp that forced him to withdraw, which led to the booking against Jonathan Martinez.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 24, 2024

“Just spoke with “The King of Rio” Jose Aldo, who confirmed that Dominick Cruz was initially supposed to be his opponent at UFC 301. Aldo had heard that Cruz had an issue during his camp that forced him to withdraw, which led to the booking against Jonathan Martinez,” Bronsteter wrote.

A fight between Aldo and Cruz is one fans have been calling for for years, as Aldo was the champ at featherweight while Cruz was the champ at bantamweight. With Aldo now at 135lbs, many fans have been clamoring for the bout to happen, but for now it will have to wait.

Regardless if Aldo wins or loses at UFC 301 the hope for many will be that the fight against Cruz can come to fruition in the future.

Jose Aldo enters his return fight at UFC 301 coming off three boxing fights, and last time out, he beat Esteban Gabriel Espindola after fighting Jeremy Stephens to a draw in his pro debut after he beat Emmanuel Zambrando by decision in an exhibition bout. Aldo had left the UFC after a loss to Merab Dvalishvili as the Brazilian is 31-8 in the UFC, and the loss had snapped his three-fight winning streak.

As for Dominick Cruz, he hasn’t fought since August of 2022 when he was knocked out by Marlon Vera. Before that, he beat Pedro Munhoz and Casey Kenney, both by decision. Before that, he suffered a TKO loss to Henry Cejudo for the 135lbs title in his return after nearly a four-year layoff.