Former bantamweight champion Jose Aldo Jr’s return to action has been confirmed for UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena.
The ‘King of Rio’ will be looking to bounce back from his split-decision loss to Mario Bautista and roll back the years as he now prepares to face Canada’s own Aiemann Zahabi on May 10.
Zahabi, a close friend and training partner of the legendary Georges St-Pierre, has now stated that his goal for UFC 315 isn’t just to get his hand raised; but to send the Hall of Famer packing.
Canadian standout Aiemann Zahabi vows to retire Jose Aldo at UFC 315
Only a few hours after news of Aldo vs Zahabi hit the airwaves, the Montreal-based bantamweight would join doppelganger Ariel Helwani to talk about the matchup.
Whilst Zahabi knows that the iconic former UFC champion’s best days are well and truly behind him, that doesn’t mean that the 12-2 Canadian is expecting a walkover on May 10.
“He’s past his prime a little bit, and I don’t mean that by age because we’re very similar in age, but the difference is that he’s got a lot of miles on him, a lot of championship rounds, a lot of hard-fought fights [whereas] I have less damage on my body.
“I haven’t fought as often as him but he’s still super dangerous, you know Jonathan Martinez was a top-ranked guy, and he beat him pretty decisively.”
Aldo bested the then-surging Martinez via unanimous decision in May 2024 but would drop a controversial decision to Mario Bautista a few months later in October.
“He’s crafty and he’s still got life in him, man,” continued Zahabi, who admitted that his goal for UFC 315 isn’t just to earn the biggest win of his career, but to send Jose Aldo into retirement.
“I’m hoping to send him into retirement in the most respectful way possible – and I mean that, I’m obviously not talking trash to the guy, but it’s a good launch pad for me.”
Zahabi will enter UFC 315 on the back of a five-fight winning streak that includes impressive victories over Aoriqileng, Javid Basharat, and most recently; a GSP-inspired shutout of Pedro Munhoz.
- EXPLAINED: Aiemann Zahabi was paid to mimic Jose Aldo 14 years before being booked to fight him at UFC 315
A solid UFC 315 card gets added bonus with Jose Aldo vs Aiemann Zahabi
As of February, the UFC website doesn’t show the official bout order for the UFC 315 PPV; however, Tapology currently lists Aldo vs Zahabi as opening the main card.
Should that bout order stick, it’ll be a highly entertaining night of action with the likes of Gilbert Burns and Alexa Grasso also set to compete before two world title fights top the bill.
- Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena
- Valentina Shevchenko vs Manon Fiorot
- Alexa Grasso vs Natalia Silva
- Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales
- Jose Aldo Jr vs Aiemann Zahabi.
Also reportedly on the UFC 315 card are Brad Katona vs Bekzat Almakhan, Jasmine Jasudavicius vs Jessica Andrade, Mike Malott vs Charles Radtke, and Marc-Andre Barriault vs Bruno Silva.
UFC 315 goes down live from the Center Bell Arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Saturday, May 10.