The long-awaited World Excessive Cagefighting (WEC) superfight simply doesn’t look like it’s meant to be.
Former Final Combating Championship (UFC) and WEC Featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, returned from a quick retirement at UFC 301 earlier this month (Might 4, 2024). Within the night’s co-main occasion, Aldo earned a unanimous determination win over Jonathan Martinez and regarded pretty much as good as he did earlier than his break in 2022.
The match up appeared random for a legend of Aldo’s caliber returning to the Bantamweight ranks. Nonetheless, reviews revealed that former UFC and WEC Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, was initially in talks to battle Aldo earlier than the Brazilian confirmed such. Reflecting on the scenario, “The Dominator” sees a sure logic in how or why they occurred the best way they did.
“I noticed his phrases have been that they provided him to battle me however he wished someone within the high 5, or, ‘He’s not within the high 5,’” Cruz stated on the Anik & Florian Podcast (h/t MMA Junkie). “Is Jonathan Martinez within the high 5? Okay, so there’s that. Then, why would you wish to be within the high 5 except you’re going to battle for the title? Is he planning on renegotiating his contract for an additional six fights and going for the title?
“Or do you wish to be sure you safe a win to change into a free agent off a win as an alternative of a loss whenever you’ve obtained to face the likes of me, which is a nightmare?” he continued. “I’m not saying Jonathan Martinez isn’t a nightmare, however the best way that I noticed it’s, he confirmed up on the primary weigh-in after which he confirmed up the second weigh-in apologizing for displaying as much as the primary weigh-in and that proper there confirmed me that the person was studying who he was in opposition to Jose Aldo earlier than he even obtained in there.”
Aldo and Cruz are basically the equivalents of the lighter weight lessons’ Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre, which was the final word all-time nice superfight that by no means materialized. Due to this fact, that is a type of cases the place it is likely to be higher late than by no means.
Cruz, 39, hasn’t fought since a tricky third spherical head kick knockout loss to Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC San Diego in August 2022 (watch highlights). Aldo, 37, is now testing free company after the Martinez battle accomplished his UFC contract. Sadly, Cruz doesn’t see his fellow legend re-signing with the promotion for the sake of their battle.
“He’s not going to renegotiate,” Cruz stated. “Why would he signal for an additional six fights within the UFC? He’s not going to try this. He’s going to go be a free agent.”
