UFC 301: Jonathan Martinez vs. Jose Aldo Odds, Date, How to Watch, and Predictions for UFC 301

UFC 301: Jonathan Martinez vs. Jose Aldo Odds, Date, How to Watch, and Predictions for UFC 301

Fight night is just hours away, as the UFC returns to a country that has helped fuel their exponential growth in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night for UFC 301. With a flyweight belt on the line, as Alexandre Pantoja takes on Steve Erceg in the main event, a passing of the torch moment is potentially on hand in the co-main event.

The bantamweight king of Rio, Jose Aldo, will make his ring walk on Saturday night for the first time in early two years, as the young and hungry Jonathan Martinez will stand across from him. Let’s take a closer look at where the market has landed, both fighter's recent past, and who I like to win this one.

UFC 301 DATE, TIME AND WHERE TO WATCH

• Date: May 4th, 2024,
• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN+ PPV

 Jonathan Martinez vs. Jose Aldo Odds

When the odds opened for this bantamweight clash, Aldo was listed as the slight -120 favorite, with Martinez coming in around even. Since then, Martinez has spiked all the way to -160 but has since settled in around -148 with the elder Aldo currently at +124.

Jonathan Martinez vs. Jose Aldo UFC 301 Prediction

Jonathan Martinez (19-4-0)

Martinez has been banging his way through the bantamweight division in the UFC since 2018, going just 2-2 through his first four fights. Since then, however, he has rattled off six straight wins as he continues to climb the division in the hope of an eventual title shot. When we saw him last in October, he picked up his best win to date, a second-round win over Adrian Yanez.

Jose Aldo (31-8-0)

Aldo’s career was seemingly almost over once before, losing three straight fights spanning 2019 and 2022. He next managed to pick up three straight wins to round out 2021, beating Chito Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font to re-establish himself at bantamweight. Unfortunately, we have seen him just once since, an August 2022 loss to Merab Dvalishvili, as Aldo has ventured away from MMA the almost two years since. 

Jonathan Martinez vs. Jose Aldo Pick

While Aldo would struggle against Martinez even if he had been active, the more than 600-day layoff between fights I think is a major cause of concern here. Instead of choosing to focus on boxing, Aldo has chosen paydays over continual training for MMA fights and I think we see that bite him against a hungry dog in Martinez. 

Pick: Jonathan Martinez (-148) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

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UFC ODDS

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