Jose Aldo will be making his boxing debut in 2023.

After Aldo lost to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 he announced his retirement from MMA. However, he was vocal in saying he was done with MMA but would like to take a boxing fight if possible.

“I’m trying to see the best path I’ll take right now,” Aldo said to MMAFighting. “I won’t fight MMA, that’s for sure. I thank everybody calling me from other promotions, but I haven’t left the UFC, I remain under contract with them. I’ll see where I’ll fit… Boxing is a possibility. It was always a dream I had in my life, I never hid that from anyone. It was always a dream. But let’s see. Everybody says I’m still young, that I have a few years [left]. First, for now, with the birth of my son, I want to enjoy my family, and then I’ll think of the professional side.”

Now, Jose Aldo is one step closer to making boxing a reality. According to Anatoliy Sulyanov, the founder of Hardcore Boxing, Aldo is likely to make his boxing debut in Dubai in 2023, but the opponent is to be determined.

“On March 18th there will be a big Hardcore Boxing event in Dubai. I’m not going to tell you the names yet, but Jose Aldo and most likely even Sergey “Crusher” Kovalev will be on the card. Aldo will fight with 99.9 percent probability, we’re negotiating with Sergey now,” Sulyanov said (via telecomasia).

Aldo ended his MMA career with a record of 31-8 and is considered one of the best fighters of all-time. In his career, the former WEC and UFC featherweight champion had notable wins over Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendez, Korean Zombie, Kenny Florian, Cub Swanson, and Marlon Vera among others.

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