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Jose Aldo, a former UFC featherweight champion and future Hall of Famer, is returning to fighting in combat sports as he moves through with his long-promised switch to boxing. The Brazilian, who gave up mixed martial arts in 2022, now just has a schedule and a rival for his ring debut.
On February 10 in Rio de Janeiro, Aldo, 36, will enter the arena to fight Alberto Emmanuel Zambrano from Argentina. The 140-pound contest, which will be held under the Shooto Brazil Boxing name, will last six rounds.
As per BoxRec, Zambrano has competed 3 times as a professional boxer and has lost every contest—two by decision and one by knockout. On November 13, 2020, he fought Alexis Nahuel Torres, losing by TKO in the second round. This was his most recent outing in the ring.
After losing against Merab Dvalishivili in a unanimous decision in August 2022, Aldo (31-8) decided to end his career in mixed martial arts. The 35-year-old has won against some of the most distinguished fighters of his era, like Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes, Chan Sung Jung, and Ricardo Lamas, throughout his campaign. He has also managed to defend the UFC featherweight championship seven times.
The promotion revealed Aldo would be honored in with the UFC Hall of Fame as a nominee of the 2023 class during the UFC 283 event. The induction ceremony's time frame hasn't been set yet, but it usually takes place in July in Las Vegas around "International Fight Week." Aldo is switching from MMA to boxing, and one can only expect that the boxing ring will serve him half as well.