Earlier this year, reports surfaced that former UFC featherweight king Jose Aldo had agreed to a June 23 showdown with surging knockout artist Jeremy Stephens in Singapore. Then, however, the UFC announced that a Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs. Leon Edwards scrap would serve as the UFC Singapore main event, which raised question about the status of this main event worthy Aldo-Stephens bout.
Well, according to a report from Combate, this compelling scrap will no longer occur in Singapore, but at a FOX Show on July 28, in an unspecified Canadian city. While the host city of this card has not yet been determined, Calgary has been named as a frontrunner by Ariel Helwani.
According to multiple sources, UFC has earmarked July for its next show in Canada. Currently, Calgary is the frontrunner to host the event (7/28). Nothing finalized at this moment, though. Could this be it, Calgary? Will the post-149 promise finally come to fruition? Stay tuned.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 28, 2018
Jose Aldo, who is widely considered the best featherweight in MMA history, has lost his last two fights, both by third-round TKO opposite reigning champ Max Holloway. Prior to these losses, he defeated Frankie Edgar by decision. This win over Edgar was preceded by a 13-second knockout loss at the hands of Conor McGregor. Other highlights of Aldo’s legendary career include defeats of Chad Mendes (twice), Ricardo Lamas, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, Kenny Florian, Mark Hominick, Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, and Cub Swanson. He’s 26-4 overall.
Stephens, on the other hand, is on an impressive three-fight streak. This streak began with a decision defeat of former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. In his next fight, he scored a knockout defeat of fellow striking specialist Doo Ho Choi. His most recent fight, finally, occurred in February, when he scored an impressive—if slightly controversial—knockout win over Team Alpha Male’s Josh Emmett. His overall record currently sits at 28-14.
At present, no other bouts have been booked for this July card in Canada. This Aldo vs. Stephens bout, however, is rumored to be the card’s co-main event.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/11/2018.