Jose Aldo, widely considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, had no trouble putting his immaculate boxing on display in the squared circle as he beat Emmanuel Zambrano via unanimous decision in Brazil.
The 36-year-old walked out to Quentin Tarantino’s famous “This is a robbery” scene from Pulp Fiction. While Aldo did not get a knockout, he comfortably dominated his opponent with the judges unanimously declaring him the winner (60-54, 59-55, and 60-54).
Jose Aldo is set to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame later this year. He announced his retirement from MMA after Merab Dvalishvili ended his three-fight win streak at UFC 278 last year.
‘Junior’ retired with a record of 31-8, with 17 of those wins coming by way of knockout. Aldo was freed from his UFC contract last year despite having one fight left, which allowed him to pursue other opportunities.
UFC legend Jose Aldo wins Pro Boxing Debut with impressive performance:
Who is Jose Aldo facing next?
Jose Aldo dismantled Emmanuel Zambrano to kick off his pro boxing career in style. The former UFC champion’s next bout has already been confirmed.
‘Junior’ is set to face former rival Jeremy Stephens in the boxing ring at Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Boxing 4 event at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday, April 1. The two UFC veterans previously faced each other in the UFC octagon five years ago, which Aldo won via TKO.
In a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Masvidal confirmed the news and revealed how excited he was to book Aldo:
“I got Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens. Jose fu**ing Aldo. The WEC champion. One of the greatest or the greatest featherweight ever in UFC history, WEC history. What this guy has done in the sport, I mean, I don’t need to tell you man. This guy’s a fu**ing an animal, I’ve always wanted to see him box.”
While Aldo’s legacy in MMA is legendary, it will be interesting to see how the soon-to-be Hall of Famer fares in boxing. Notably, he is targeting an exhibition bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. for later this year.