Aldo Set For Grappling Match Against Vera

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will step back into competition on October 4, marking his first combat sports appearance since retiring from mixed martial arts.

Aldo closed out his MMA career with a unanimous decision loss to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 on May 10, 2025, bringing an end to a run that spanned 42 professional fights and two separate reigns atop the UFC's featherweight division, with notable wins over Urijah Faber, Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes along the way.

Though best known for his striking — 17 of his 32 career wins came by knockout — Aldo also holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and competed in grappling long before he ever turned pro in MMA. Just over five weeks from now, he'll return to that background when he meets former UFC bantamweight title challenger Marlon Vera in a submission-only grappling match at a Hype FC event, set to take place at Coliseo General Rumiñahui in Quito, Ecuador.

It won't be the first time the two have shared a scorecard. Aldo and Vera previously met in MMA competition at a UFC Fight Night card on December 19, 2020, in Las Vegas, where Aldo came away with a clean sweep, winning 29-28 on all three judges' cards.