The UFC has added another important bantamweight fight to its late-year slate.
Former longtime UFC and WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will meet the surging Rob Font in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card Dec. 4 in Las Vegas, sources confirmed Tuesday with ESPN. The bout was first mentioned by MMA reporter Ariel Helwani on Spotify Greenroom and the date was first reported by Brazilian outlet Combate.
ESPN has Font ranked No. 5 in the world at bantamweight and Aldo at No. 6. The winner would be in pole position for a potential title opportunity, though the division is waiting for the return of champion Aljamain Sterling from neck surgery. Sterling withdrew from a title rematch with former champ Petr Yan at UFC 267 on Oct. 30, and Yan will now fight Cory Sandhagen in an interim title bout.
Aldo (30-7) has won two straight after falling in a title fight to Yan at UFC 251 in July 2020. The Brazilian striker is coming off a unanimous decision win over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265 last month. Aldo, 35, is one of the most decorated former champions in MMA history. He was the first UFC featherweight champion and took the title from WEC into the UFC, a span of six years. Aldo has the most title defenses in UFC featherweight history (7).
Font (19-4) has won four straight and five of his last six bouts. The Massachusetts native is coming off a unanimous decision win over former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in May. Font, 34, sports a 9-3 UFC record.