Jose Aldo hopes to move up in weight to take on Anthony Pettis
The king of 145 pounds wants to eat more.
Jose Aldo, after defending his featherweight title for a sixth consecutive time Saturday night at UFC 169, said he wants to move up 10 pounds to fight lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
"I'm ready, I've always been ready," Aldo said. "I want that fight. Everybody wants that fight. If the fight was tonight, I'd fight him. So it's up to UFC and [president] Dana [White]."
Moments removed from kicking Ricardo Lamas' title dreams down the Jersey Turnpike, the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world sounded as definitive as ever in moving up in weight class. Aldo (24-1) has not lost a fight since November 2005, a run of 17 straight victories.
The list of title shot-ready featherweights Aldo has not already beaten once before has very few bullet points. Aldo has cleaned out his division, making the jump a welcome one for many connected to the sport. Aldo would have to vacate his featherweight title in order to fight Pettis.
When the fight could take place is unclear. Pettis is still recovering from a torn posterior cruciate ligament and is not expected back until July at the earliest.
White said Pettis called him during the postfight news conference and said he wants to fight Aldo.
"Sounds like we got a fight. There you go," White said. "That was easy. Got that deal done. One more thing I don't have to do on Monday."
Weidman vs. Belfort has a date. The next opponent for UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has been known for more than a month: Vitor Belfort. And now the time and the place are known: UFC 173 in Las Vegas on May 24.
Weidman told Newsday earlier this week during an appearance on Radio Row for the Super Bowl in Manhattan that he had his choice between fighting Belfort in May or July. He said he'd rather fight in May so that he could enjoy the rest of his summer without having to worry about training or cutting weight.
Belfort earned the next title shot with three explosive head-kick knockouts in 2013. Weidman (11-0), from Baldwin, won the middleweight title last July by knocking out Anderson Silva. He then successfully defended the title in the rematch against Silva in December.
Both of those fights were in Vegas. Belfort's last three bouts have been in Brazil, which does not test for performance-enhancing drugs. (The UFC conducts its own testing in countries that do not test.)
Belfort has come under scrutiny for his use of testosterone replacement therapy, which is legal with a therapeutic use exemption from the state athletic commission.