Jose Aldo Says He’s Accepted a Fight Against Jeremy Stephens in June

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is ready to return in his first non-title bout since 2009.

Following a second straight knockout loss to current champ Max Holloway, Aldo says that he’s accepted a showdown with Jeremy Stephens later this year for a UFC Fight Night card in Singapore.

While the UFC has made no announcements about that card, Aldo says there is a show in the works for June and it appears he’d like to face Stephens in the main event.

“We already accepted a fight against Jeremy Stephens,” Aldo told Combate in Brazil. “We’re expecting it to be in June in Singapore. We’re just waiting for confirmation. The venue and the opponent are certain, they just have to make the decision.”

Stephens is currently on vacation in Mexico and was unavailable for comment although he’s previously asked for the matchup against Aldo following his most recent win against Josh Emmett at a UFC on FOX event in Florida.

Stephens is currently riding a three-fight win streak including knockouts against Emmett and Dooho Choi in consecutive bouts.

Stephens is closer to a title shot than ever before and a win over Aldo would almost certainly put him next in line to fight for the gold against the winner of the upcoming fight between champion Max Holloway and challenger Brian Ortega.

Meanwhile, Aldo is anxious to get back in the win column after suffering a pair of losses to Holloway in his two most recent fights.

There’s no word yet from the UFC on whether or not they are going to Singapore in June much less if Aldo vs. Stephens will land on the card.