Jose Aldo to Return to Boxing Ring at Shooto Boxing 2 on July 2

It appears Ultimate Fighting Championship great Jose Aldo is taking his burgeoning boxing career seriously.

Per sources close to the situation, Aldo (0-0-1, 0 KOs) will be entering the ring for the third time as a boxer on Sunday. Aldo will square off against Argentinian Esteban Gabriel Espindola (0-1-1, 0 KOs) at Shooto Boxing 2. The event, held inside of the Upper Arena in Rio de Janeiro, will be kicking off locally at 8 p.m. on July 2 – or 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The former UFC featherweight king, who ended his pro MMA career at 31-8, already has another fight planned after Espindola, as he will be rematching Jeremy Stephens at an undisclosed date. The two fought to a draw on the Gamebred Boxing 4 show in April.

The match will last six rounds, and it will take place at 63.5 kg (139.7 pounds). Aldo’s previous pairing in Shooto Boxing against Emmanuel Zambrona was considered an exhibition, in what was slated to be his professional debut at the time. It is currently unclear if Aldo vs. Espindola will also be deemed an exhibition, or if it will land on pro record databases. Like Aldo’s previous appearance on the inaugural Shooto Boxing card in February, this clash will air on UFC Fight Pass.

Aldo still remains under contract with the UFC following his retirement from MMA, although the promotion has given him its blessing to carry out his boxing career. According to the 36-year-old, UFC head Dana White informed him that as long as he does not return to MMA for a competing promotion, he is welcome to fight in other disciplines. The legendary Aldo still trains at the vaunted Nova Uniao camp, and he supplements his boxing training by working with the Brazilian Navy.

This item was updated at 2:43 p.m. ET on June 15 to correct the date of Aldo's boxing match. Sherdog previously reported it was on June 18, when in fact the correct date is July 2.