Jose Aldo expects trilogy with Max Holloway, not thinking about lightweight for now

At just 31 years of age, Jose Aldo has already put together a Hall of Fame career, and his goal is to end it on as high a note as possible.

Just don’t expect him to see him chasing accolades at lightweight.

Aldo is a two-time UFC champion at 145 pounds and he can become just the second man to hold a belt three times in the same division when he rematches Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 218 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Saturday. In their first meeting this past June, Holloway defeated Aldo by third-round TKO, unifying his interim title with Aldo’s strap to become the undisputed featherweight champion at 145 pounds (with apologies to Conor McGregor).

At a scrum during Wednesday’s open workouts for UFC 218, Aldo was asked if he’s considering a move up to lightweight regardless of what happens in the second fight with Holloway, considering all that he’s already accomplished in his current division. For now, he’s pressing pause on that talk.

“First, I’m going to win my title back and after that I’m focusing on the featherweight division,” Aldo said in Portuguese, via a translator. “After that, I’m going to talk to my crew.”

A move to 155 pounds has been discussed on several occasions by Aldo as he’s admitted that the cut down to featherweight gave him problems in the past. The change has never gone past the idea stage though and all of Aldo’s 18 fights under the Zuffa banner have taken place at 145 pounds.

Should he win the title again, as he expects to do, Aldo is looking forward to a rubber match versus Holloway.

“Probably yes, but it’s up to Dana, so he’s going to decide,” Aldo said when asked about a potential Holloway trilogy. “But I’m actually pretty confident about the victory. I can see the belt, having it.”

Another title win would put Aldo alongside Randy Couture as the only UFC fighters to have three separate title reigns in a single weight class. And if Aldo gets back on top, he plans to stay there until the day that he hangs up his gloves for good.

“I’m looking forward to making history and putting my name in history with the UFC,” Aldo said. “And I want to retire being the champ.”