One of the greatest fighters of all time is back in the win column.
Jose Aldo defeated Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in the bantamweight co-main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The former featherweight champion snapped his three-fight skid with the victory, which marked his first triumph in the 135-pound division.
Aldo called out former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who is expected to return in early 2021 from a two-year USADA suspension, in his postfight interview.
The Brazilian had a strong start to the contest, battering Vera with body shots and leg kicks in the first round.
Vera rallied in the second round, controlling Aldo in the clinch and landing some kicks. But Aldo sealed the deal in the final frame by immediately taking Vera's back and maintaining that position for five minutes.
This was Aldo's first win since a TKO over Renato Moicano in February 2019. He dropped down to the bantamweight division in late 2019, suffering a razor-thin loss to Marlon Moraes. Aldo challenged for the vacant title in July but suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to current champ Petr Yan.
Vera, who entered Saturday's fight coming off a breakthrough win over Sean O'Malley, is now 1-2 in his past three bouts.
