Jose Aldo has seven years of fighting left, still plans to box

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo says he plans to fight for seven more years and suggested that he still plans on competing in boxing.

Aldo will make his bantamweight debut next weekend at UFC 245 when he takes on Marlon Moraes. Should Aldo win that fight, he’s expected to be in the running to get a title shot against UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo. Perhaps the move down to bantamweight has revitalized Aldo, because he appears to have more drive now than he’s had in years.

In recent years Aldo suggested that he didn’t have much time left in MMA. But in a recent interview with AG Fight (via Google Translate), the 33-year-old Aldo said that he now wants to fight until he’s 40, and he still has aspirations of boxing.

“I will fight until I am 40 years old. I’m 33, so seven more years fighting. Boxing I still have a dream, it will happen soon. You can be sure. But I will fight for even longer. This is the first at bantamweight to be champion. It can be even more (than 40 years). Because out of my career, I never went out at night, going out, drinking, I have a healthy body and that’s the first point,” Aldo said.

Aldo says that his coach Andre Pederneiras convinced him to make the move down to bantamweight, something that Aldo has resisted in the past. He says he feels great at the weight and is excited to debut at 135lbs next week against his fellow countryman Moraes.

“What makes me struggle is that over the years I didn’t want to, but I talked to Dede, he asked me to fight the bantamweight. I had an idea that it would be hard to beat weight, diet, but it was the other way around. I’m feeling strong, training well. Even at WEC I didn’t have that potential. It makes me believe that I have a lot to give and you can be sure that I will fight for many years. If I’m feeling good, fast, fast like I’ve never been, there’s no point in stopping now. I want to win the weight, make history and then think about what to do,” Aldo said.

We still have to see Aldo actually make the weight next week at UFC 245. But provided he does and has a great performance against Moraes, it sets Aldo up very nicely for the future.

Are you interested in seeing Jose Aldo compete in boxing?