Jose Aldo Reiterates T.J. Dillashaw Callout Following UFC on ESPN 31 Victory

Jose Aldo once again has T.J. Dillashaw in his sights following another impressive victory in the bantamweight division.

The former featherweight king earned his third consecutive triumph at 135 pounds in the UFC on ESPN 31 headliner, taking a five-round verdict over Rob Font at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Despite a reputation for fading in longer fights, Aldo held up for 25 hard-fought minutes against a surging contender. Aldo did not attend Saturday’s post-fight press conference due to being transported to a hosptial for precautionary reasons, but he did share his thoughts on his performance — which featured a blend of powerful striking and timely grappling — during an interview in the Octagon.

“Everyone thinks I can only go three rounds but I proved I can do five and I want to be a champion of this division and I’m still working for that,” Aldo said. “We’ve been talking about this, to become a complete MMA fighter. So yes, I’m going to be standing up and when it goes to the ground I’m going to work down there. This is the new Aldo you’re seeing.”

Just as he did following a victory over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265 earlier this year, Aldo called out the former bantamweight champion. With a Petr Yan-Aljamain Sterling rematch for bantamweight gold still likely, Aldo vs. Dillashaw could be an interesting No. 1 contender’s bout.

“Of course I want to fight for the title but we don’t know what’s going to happen with that,” Aldo said. “Dillashaw’s right there, so I want to fight Dillashaw. That would be the best opponent next.”