Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s next fight could be against a UFC legend.
On Friday, MMA Fighting reported that former UFC featherweight champion and new Hall of Fame inductee Jose Aldo is in negotiations for a boxing bout against Mayweather Jr. in 2023. The Brazilian informed the outlet that both sides have agreed to the structure of a deal and are just finalizing the promotional side of the agreement.
Aldo brought his MMA career to a close in August after a unanimous-decision loss to bantamweight title contender Merab Dvalishvili. He retired from the sport later in the year and made the switch to boxing in 2023. He made his debut in the sweet science this week with a decision win over Emmanuel Zambrano.
After losing his 145-pound title to Conor McGregor in 2015, Aldo would compete for the championship on two more occasions (both losses to Max Holloway), before moving down to bantamweight and falling short in a championship opportunity against Petr Yan in 2020. He finished 31-8 with 16 knockouts and two submissions during his MMA career.
As for Mayweather Jr., 45, he has transitioned away from relevant and official fights to exhibition showcases. Following his pay-per-view record-breaking bout against McGregor in 2017, he has competed in five exhibition bouts around the world.
His exhibition world tour has visited also places like Japan, Abu Dhabi, and will next be in London on Feb. 25 for a bout against MMA and reality TV veteran Aaron Chalmers. However, on the road to his matchup with Chalmers, Mayweather Jr.’s next bout could be against one of the greatest featherweight fighters in MMA history.
