Update: Aldo to Defend in January; Hominick, Grispi Probable Foes

The Brazilian announced the news via his Twitter account on Tuesday evening. A similar statement, though not as detailed, was made by Aldo in an interview with Tatame magazine and was reported on by Sherdog yesterday.

Tweeting primarily in Portuguese, the champ today reiterated that his January matchup would be a defense of his title, but he made it clear that he did not have an exact date for his return.

Followers of the once-beaten Aldo immediately began prodding the champion for more specific information, but Aldo remained cryptic. “Junior” went on to say that it was not up to him who he would fight next. When pressed on the possibility of fighting Hominick, Aldo responded that he was unsure of whom he would fight and listed Josh Grispi as another possibility. That would be a fairly quick turnaround for Grispi, who is scheduled to face Erik Koch at WEC 52 on Nov. 11.

Hominick is coming off a masterful performance against Leonard Garcia at WEC 51 in September, a fight that “The Machine” went into with a broken hand. He received a six-month medical suspension from the Colorado Office of Boxing following the bout. Though a date in January would contradict that suspension, Hominick may be cleared to fight earlier if he passes an X-ray exam.

Right now, the only Zuffa event scheduled for January is UFC 125 on New Year’s Day. That means little, however, as the yet-to-be-announced WEC 54 will most likely also take place in January.

It’s been mentioned by many, including Aldo and UFC president Dana White, that “Junior” may be ready to make the jump to lightweight and fight in the UFC – an option may not be totally dead and buried. If Aldo were to put on those 10 pounds, his rumored first opponent would be Kenny Florian. However, reports have circulated that both camps, at one time or another, have vetoed the possible matchup.

When asked about the opportunity, Aldo wrote that it was up to White to decide, but that “one day” he would fight at 155. He went on to explain that he had not turned down a fight with Florian, and that he would fight “any one opponent.”

Florian has also denied turning down the fight. From his twitter: “Neither myself or my manager Malki Kawa have been offered Jose Aldo, but that would be a dream fight. I would take that fight with the quickness.”