Jose Aldo and Alexander Volkanovski will go head-to-head in a high-stakes featherweight fight at UFC 237.
Aldo vs. Volkanovski is planned for the May 11 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sources close to the situation have confirmed with The Body Lock. This confirmation supports Farah Hannoun’s earlier report, who first shared that this fight was in the works for UFC 237.
Aldo (#1, 28-4) is currently riding his first winning streak since October 2014. The former featherweight champion has bounced back after consecutive defeats to Max Holloway by defeating Jeremy Stephens and Renato Moicano via TKO.
At the age of 32, Aldo’s career is nearing its conclusion. In January, Aldo confirmed that he plans to finish his career in Brazil, and that he had three fights remaining. He stopped Moicano during the Fortaleza card in February, proceeding to pass Max Holloway for the most finishes in UFC/WEC featherweight history (11). Now, Aldo has his second fight lined up for May. Later this year, Aldo will compete for what seems like the last time when the UFC returns to São Paulo.
Volkanovski (#4, 19-1) has long been considered one of the most promising fighters in the UFC’s 145-pound division. The 30-year-old joined the UFC in November 2016 and has proceeded to win all six of his contests with the promotion. Most recently, Volkanovski finished Chad Mendes in the second round at UFC 232, backing his claim to being pound-for-pound the strongest fighter in the UFC.
With a win at UFC 237, Volkanovski will emerge as the top contender in the featherweight division and will surely begin calling Max Holloway’s name.
UFC 237 is set to take place at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.