Aldo vs. Holloway confirmed to headline UFC 212 in Rio
A featherweight title unification bout between undisputed champion Jose Aldo and interim titleholder Max Holloway is set to headline UFC 212 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro, the promotion announced Sunday following multiple reports.
The fight was originally targeted for this past Saturday's UFC 208 in Brooklyn, but an ankle injury kept Holloway from making the date in what would've been a quick turnaround.
Aldo won the interim crown with a unanimous decision over Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 this past summer and was promoted to undisputed king after the promotion stripped Conor McGregor of his 145-pound belt, which he'd won by knocking out the Brazilian in just 13 seconds the previous December at UFC 194.
The knockout loss snapped an 18-fight winning run spanning over nine years, during which Aldo cleaned house in both the WEC and UFC featherweight classes. The 30-year-old was anointed the latter promotion's first 145-pound champion following its merger with the WEC in 2010, successfully defending the title a record seven times.
Aldo's impromptu promotion allowed Holloway to face Anthony Pettis for the interim title in the main event of UFC 206, and he handed the former lightweight champ his first stoppage loss, finishing him with strikes in the third round. "Blessed" takes a 10-fight win streak dating back to January 2014 into his long-awaited date with Aldo.
The promotion has yet to announce a venue for the June event.