A pivotal featherweight showdown is the latest addition to UFC 237 as former champion Jose Aldo is set to meet Alex Volkanovski at the May 11 pay-per-view event from Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
MMA journalist Farah Hannoun first reported Monday that the booking was in the works. ESPN.com subsequently confirmed the fight has been booked.
Aldo, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, has experienced a career resurgence of late. In his two most recent fights, Aldo has TKO wins over Jeremy Stephens and Renato Moicano. Aldo (28-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) will look to make it three in a row with his retirement looming. Aldo has already said he intends to fight out his UFC contract this year and hang up his gloves afterward.
Volkanovski (19-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), meanwhile, is No. 5 at 145 pounds and will bring with him a 16-fight overall winning streak that dates back to 2013. Volkanovski is coming off the biggest win of his career by TKO against former title challenger Chad Mendes at UFC 232.
With the addition, the UFC 237 lineup now includes:
- Rose Namajunas vs. Jessica Andrade – for strawweight title
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Spann
- Jared Cannonier vs. Anderson Silva
- Irene Aldana vs. Bethe Correia
- Jose Aldo vs. Alex Volkanovski
For more on UFC 237, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
