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On Thursday, Combate first reported that Jose Aldo (29-7) would be meeting Pedro Munhoz (19-5, 1 NC) at bantamweight on UFC 265. According to Combate, the two have verbally agreed to meet but the contracts have not yet been signed. The news that this fight is being put together for Aug. 7 has since been confirmed by other outlets.
Aldo won for the first time at 135 pounds when he captured a thrilling unanimous verdict over Marlon Vera in December. The win ended a three-fight losing streak, including two defeats at bantamweight against Marlon Moraes and Petr Yan. The former featherweight king may have lost the split decision to Moraes, but he still managed to get a title shot against Yan only to lose by late knockout. Aldo, in his lengthy title reign at 145 pounds, has faced a veritable who’s who in the division from Max Holloway to Frankie Edgar and Conor McGregor.
Munhoz too ended a skid in his last time out, beating Jimmie Rivera and exacting revenge in their rematch by decision. The victory put him back on the winning track after dropping decisions to Aljamain Sterling and Frankie Edgar, with the latter scored in favor of Munhoz by a majority of the media members covering the fight. Like his opponent, “The Young Punisher” has racked up six post-fight bonuses in his UFC tenure, with three in his last four outings.
UFC 265 will go down on Aug. 7 in a currently undetermined location. The pay-per-view card is buoyed by a bantamweight championship showdown between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena, but that bout is not necessarily its headliner. A middleweight striker’s delight between Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland is expected to serve on the main card.