PFL commentator Kenny Florian has told MMANews that fans witnessed “the best José Aldo we’ve ever seen” at UFC 265, saying that he hopes to see the Brazilian face T.J. Dillashaw.
Aldo showed that he’s still a legitimate title contender at 135 pounds by defeating countryman Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision on August 7. It was the 34-year-old’s second straight win, having previously defeated Marlon Vera.
Aldo is now gunning for a second shot at the title. After controversially losing a decision against Marlon Moraes in his 135 pound debut, José went on to challenge Petr Yan for the vacant title in July last year. He was soundly beaten by Yan, losing via TKO in the fifth round.
But now, the former featherweight champ looks to be returning to his best form—and his sights are set on facing T.J. Dillashaw next. Aldo called out T.J following his latest victory, saying that he’s “expecting” a December matchup with the American.
Meanwhile, Dillashaw is expected to face the winner of the upcoming bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. However, with that bout taking place at UFC 267 in October, T.J. has stated that he’s willing to take another flight if the wait for a title shot proves too long.
Kenny Florian Heaps Praise On Jose Aldo, Hopes For T.J. Dillashaw Matchup
One man who wants to see a Jose Aldo vs. T.J. Dillashaw fight materialize is UFC veteran Kenny Florian. In an interview with MMANews, the PFL commentator heaped praise on his former opponent Aldo, saying that the Brazilian looked better than ever in his last fight.
“It was brilliant to watch,” said Florian. “Jose Aldo is such a talent and, you know, I’ve always been waiting for that Jose Aldo who used to throw a lot of leg kicks and a lot of kicks in general. I think we saw the best Jose Aldo we’ve ever seen, especially in round three of that fight, and he was on fire against Munhoz.”
After making his professional MMA debut as an 18-year-old in 2004, Aldo went on to win the WEC featherweight title five years later. He then became the UFC featherweight champ following that promotion’s merger with WEC in 2010. The Brazilian went on to defend the title seven times, before losing to Conor McGregor in 2015.
Florian believes it’s this legacy that will surely see Aldo enter the UFC Hall of Fame, and he believes the Brazilian is still one of the best in a three-round fight.
“When he’s at his best man, I’m telling you, especially in a three-round fight, he’s going to be extremely difficult to beat, and it shows his mindset to be able to carry this type of hunger and this type of passion for the sport at this point,” said Florian.
“The fact that, I think he made his MMA debut like 17 years ago or something like that, his first pro fight, so to see that he’s still here competing at this high level in the UFC against elite competition says a lot about him as a martial artist, as a man, as a professional and … I said this on the podcast, but this is like the most duh statement of the year, he’s for sure going to be in the hall of fame, he’s going to go down as one of the best featherweights and bantamweights to ever do it, and it’s a pleasure to watch him compete, and it was an honor to compete against someone like a Jose Aldo, who will go down as one of the GOATs.”
Kenny also added that he’d love to see this reinvigorated Aldo face T.J. Dillashaw next.
“I hope to see him fight T.J Dillashaw, that’s the fight he wants and I think it will be a tremendous fight,” said Florian.
What do you think? Would you like to see Jose Aldo vs. T.J. Dillashaw?
