This article covers the main card featherweight bout at UFC 315 in Montreal, featuring Jose Aldo against Aiemann Zahabi, held on Saturday at the Bell Centre.
Jose Aldo (32-9), highly ranked in the bantamweight division, faced Aiemann Zahabi. Originally scheduled as a bantamweight contest, the fight was moved to the featherweight class on Friday due to Aldo experiencing weight-cutting issues.
The acclaimed veteran and future UFC Hall of Famer has faced recent setbacks, dropping two of his last three bouts by decision to opponents like Mario Bautista and eventual bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Prior to this, Aldo had built momentum with a three-fight win streak, positioning himself for a potential title challenge before the close decision loss to Dvalishvili.
Aiemann Zahabi (12-2) entered the bout on a strong five-fight winning streak. His recent impressive victories include handing Javid Basharat his first professional loss and defeating veteran Pedro Munhoz in December. A win against Aldo would undoubtedly mark his highest position yet in the bantamweight rankings.
Marcus Blakely