José Aldo came close but ultimately fell short in a decision at UFC 307, losing to Mario Bautista.

Bautista looked to take control of the action right away, bringing out a heavy leg kick attack — landing 23 of them in the first round. Additionally, Aldo seemed inactive outside of a few late shots, with the American landing his fair share and pinning the former featherweight champion against the fence more than once.

Bautista continued to bring his pressure into the third round. And while Aldo tried to get anything going, the #11-ranked contender continued to go for takedowns and use a wrestle-heavy approach, forcing Aldo to defend.

Mario Bautista Stalls Title Plans Of Former Champion José Aldo Via Split Decision At UFC 307

After initially retiring in late 2022 following a loss to current UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili, Aldo returned to the Octagon at UFC 301 this past May, defeating Jonathan Martinez. "Junior," a former UFC featherweight champion, was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.

Bautista, meanwhile, entered tonight on a six-fight win streak, most recently defeating Ricky Simón at the UFC Apex in January.

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