While Aldo has been an underdog a few times in the past, the favorites in those fights have been current or former champs such as Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar, rather than a young rising prospect like Renato Carneiro. Aldo will take on his surging countryman at UFC on ESPN+2 in a potential No. 1 contender fight. Despite an impressive performance against Jeremy Stephens at UFC on Fox 30 last July, where he won via TKO to snap a two-fight losing streak, the former featherweight champion is currently the +130 underdog while "Moicano" sits as a -150 favorite according to 5Dimes (via Best Fight Odds).
Aldo spoke with Combate about the upcoming fight and claims that the underdog status doesn’t bother him and that he’s just focus on getting the job done next month (via Bloody Elbow): “I couldn’t care less about it. I don’t give a sh-t. I don’t care about gambling at all. I’m only interested in my training, my team and my potential to get in there and win my fights.”
UFC Fight Night 144, also known as UFC on ESPN+ 2, takes place on Feb. 2, 2019 at the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. It is scheduled to be headlined by a bantamweight contenders' fight between Raphael Assuncao and Marlon Moraes, and the card is stacked with Brazilian veterans as well as up-and-comers, including the co-main event between Aldo and Carneiro, and Demian Maia and Thiago Alves making main-card appearances.