In a sport where many legends are finding it tough to go on, featherweight icon José Aldo continues to push forward. It’s clear that “Scarface” is highly dedicated to the fight game, which he has proved time and again. His relentless style and electrifying performances in recent times have proven it. In fact, it’s hard to recall a single boring fight from Aldo. With seven UFC title defenses, championship reigns in other promotions, and spectacular victories across two weight classes, he is definitely one of the legends of the sport.

The former champion decided to retire from the sport in 2022 after his loss against Merab Dvalishvili. However, he surprised everyone when he returned to fight against Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in May 2024, winning the fight by unanimous decision. The Brazilian will once again return to action, as revealed by a recent Instagram post by HOME OF FIGHT. “Josè Aldo vs. Aiemann Zahabi is set for UFC 315 on May 10th, per @ben_beaudoin.” is what the post actually read. Since the fight was announced, fans and experts have criticized the UFC CEO Dana White, for setting him up against such a low-ranked opponent.

Here’s the reality—when it comes to aging legends, the UFC starts treating them a bit differently. Only if you are holding a championship in any division do you get fights that help you grow further. However, if you don’t have any belt after a certain point in your career, you’re no longer the priority. Instead, you become just a normal fighter who is looking to make way for the next set of contenders. This is what former UFC fighter Dan Hardy also feels. He recently sat down for a chat on the ‘Submission Radio’ show, where he shared his honest opinion on the whole. He said, “It’s just the system, isn’t it. You know it’s the machine of combat sports and I think it’s even more obvious within the UFC”. 

Hardy also made it clear that it has been a recent trend with the UFC where old fighters are used as bait for young fighters. He further added, “You get to see all the fights that you want to see because everyone’s in the same ranking group. But then the downside is the old guys are going to get used as food for the younger guys coming up.” Aldo is by no means a gatekeeper in the division and has faced and beaten younger blood in the organization in the past. But this time, it seems the UFC has taken things a bit far. Let’s take a look at the record of his opponent, which has irked the MMA fans.

A closer look at Aiemann Zahabi’s record, who will be facing Jose Aldo next

For the people who are unaware, Aiemann Zahabi is the younger brother of renowned Tristar head coach Firas Zahabi. Although he may be just a year younger than José Aldo at 37, he is nowhere close to him in terms of achievements and records. With a 12-2 record, the Laval, Quebec native has only stepped into the UFC Octagon a mere eight times. If we compare him to Aldo, he boasts a 32-9 record and has nearly double that number of fights in the UFC alone (22). All these comparisons make their UFC 315 matchup a clash of vastly different levels of experience.

At 38, Aldo is still a formidable force in the bantamweight division, holding the No. 11 ranking. From a rankings standpoint, his UFC 315 matchup with Aiemann Zahabi makes sense, as Zahabi sits just two spots below him at No. 13. However, if we go by the stardom value, Zahabi is nowhere close to him. For Zahabi, this will be an opportunity for him to take on one of the legends of the sport. A victory against the Brazilian fighter will help him move up the rankings and also catch the notice of the opponents. But for Aldo, this fight holds a lot of importance.

He will not only have to win the fight but also have to prove that he is still relevant in the division. What do you think about Jose Aldo’s upcoming opponent? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.