Jose Aldo turned down less money from other promotions to continue UFC ‘purpose:’ ‘Twice or three times the money’

Jose Aldo will be an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter until he retires (again).

Aldo seeks revenge at UFC 307 this weekend (Sat., Oct. 5, 2023) inside Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, taking on surging Bantamweight prospect, Mario Bautista, in the featured “Prelims” undercard bout. Aldo lost the last time he competed in Utah to current Bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvilli.

It was close.

Nevertheless, Aldo competed earlier this year in his hometown of Rio de Janiero, Brazil, at UFC 301, schooling Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision. It was the last fight on his contract, and the thought was Aldo would leave UFC to continue boxing or sign with another promotion.

On the contrary, "The King of Rio" will stay in UFC for the rest of his career, inking a new contract. However, many other promotions tried to sign the former long-time UFC Featherweight champion.

"Listen, my dream has always been to be a champion in UFC," Aldo told ESPN through a translator. "I want to be a champion in the UFC; that's what I've always dreamed of, and that was my ultimate goal. Thinking about the contract now, I'm looking forward to this opportunity. If any other proposals came about, I knew I would be locked in with the UFC, and that's what I want to continue to do.

"Other organizations came at me with some proposals and contracts," Aldo added. "They threw some money at me, sometimes twice, three times the money, but it doesn't matter. Listen, I'm locked in, and I think there's a purpose for me to be in the UFC."

MMAmania.com can confirm that the Professional Fighters League (PFL) offered Aldo a "six-figure contract" to compete for its organization, hoping to make Aldo verus Patricio "Pitbull" Freire. He was also offered money from Most Value Promotions (MVP) to box on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson undercard.

It is not rare for fighters to turn down bigger contracts to remain in the biggest fight promotion in the world, but nowadays, more and more fighters are willing to take the risk and fight in other promotions such as Francis Ngannou or Shane Burgos.

For Aldo, he is always one or two fights away from fighting for a title, and with an impressive win this weekend, he can set himself up with that.

LIVE! Watch UFC 307 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

Championship Doubleheader! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sat., Oct. 5, 2024, with a pair of thrilling championship bouts at the helm. In UFC 307’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, goes for his third successful title defense of 2024 when he collides with No. 8-ranked contender, Khalil Rountree Jr., in a battle of ferocious knockout artists. Meanwhile, in UFC 307’s championship co-headliner, women’s Bantamweight roost-ruler, Raquel Pennington, defends against former titleholder and No. 1-seeded contender, Julianna Pena, in a grudge match dating back to The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 18 more than one decade ago. UFC 307 will also feature the return of former pound-for-pound great, Jose Aldo, as well Kayla Harrison, Kevin Holland and so much more! It’s must-watch action from “SLC!” UFC 307’s start time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (Prelims card) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

• STREAM UFC 307

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 307 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 307: “Pereira vs. Rountree” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.