Jose Aldo Eyes 2027 Boxing Return: 'Money Talks' for UFC Legend

Jose Aldo isn't done chasing a paycheck in the ring. The UFC Hall of Famer says there's a "high chance" he laces up the gloves again in 2027 on a Spaten Fight Night card in Brazil, adding another chapter to a boxing side-hustle that already reads 2-0-1. His reasoning is refreshingly blunt: money talks.

Aldo, who built a 2-0 record in Brazilian boxing rings with a majority draw against Jeremy Stephens sandwiched between the wins, revealed he came close to headlining Spaten's August 2025 show before the timing fell apart. The event was ultimately topped by Glover Teixeira versus Shogun Rua instead — Teixeira sitting on a 33-9 career mark with 28 finishes of his own.

How It Fell Through

According to Aldo, he even messaged Dana White about the opportunity. But Spaten needed a quick yes while he was on vacation in Cancun, and by the time he circled back the window had shut. He says he let it go, though he's now willing to go through UFC brass — Hunter Campbell and Mick Maynard — for permission if a fresh offer lands. White, he claims, told him years ago that any boxing offer would be waved through without issue.

The complication is contractual. Aldo still owes the UFC three fights and doesn't know when that obligation expires. That's the same promotion he returned to in 2024 after his first retirement, beating Jonathan Martinez before dropping decisions to Mario Bautista and Aiemann Zahabi — the latter now sitting at #7 in the bantamweight division on a 14-3 record.

Why Boxing Makes Sense

Aldo praised Spaten's purses, drawing a clear line between the promotion and the influencer-versus-fighter circus he wants no part of. His pitch is simple: name a number, and if the promoter meets it, he fights. If not, he's happy staying home as a self-described family man. He worked color commentary for Globo TV on the Sao Paulo broadcast, where Olympic judoka Flavio Canto and jiu-jitsu star Kyra Gracie jokingly told him he's their next target.

As for opponents, Aldo hasn't gotten that far, but he floated reviving the old Nova Uniao versus Team Alpha Male feud against Chad Mendes or Urijah Faber, or finally sharing a ring with Anthony Pettis — a matchup the UFC never delivered back in 2013. He insists he doesn't miss fighting and considers that chapter closed. But for the right money, he'll open it back up.