Skip to main content

For the first time since 2009 former UFC & WEC featherweight champion José Aldo will compete in a three round non-title bout when he faces Jeremy Stephens in the co-main event of a UFC on FOX event from Calgary, Alberta, on July 28th.

The news was confirmed by the Calgary Sun and later shared by the UFC’s social media team. Brazilian outlet Combate first reported that the fight was in the works several weeks ago.

Aldo (26-4), one of the most successful featherweights of all time, will be looking to address the first losing streak of his career. The Brazilian has lost his last two trips to the octagon, both to Max Holloway, and was swiftly knocked out by Conor McGregor in December of 2015 to make that three knockout losses from his last four bouts. The sole win in that run was a unanimous decision victory against Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 a couple of summers ago.

In Stephens, who is the self-proclaimed ‘one of the hardest hitters in the division’, is a tough out for someone looking to break a streak of knockout losses. Stephens is currently in the midst of one of the hottest runs of his career, with a trio of successive victories under his belt — including a pair of knockouts against Josh Emmett and Doo Ho Choi in his last two contests.

As per a report from Ariel Helwani a women’s flyweight title bout between Nicco Montano and Valentina Shevchenko is scheduled to be the headliner of the card.