Between Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Sebastian Vettel, and possibly Tom Brady (again), 2022 has been the year for all-time sporting greats to retire. Today, this revered cohort welcomes 36-year-old Jose Aldo, who has officially been granted a a contract release by the UFC.
In the past few years post-UFC 251, the former featherweight champion of two different MMA promotions (WEC & UFC) has somehow managed to defy human biology, exhibiting remarkably sharp form within the UFC’s cutthroat bantamweight division.
But despite the unanimous decision victories he’s recorded against the likes of Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font, Father Time remains undefeated. As bittersweet as it may be to acknowledge, with both his best days and a chance at reclaiming world championship glory behind him, perhaps this is indeed the time to hang up the gloves and ride off into the sunset.
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Jose “Junior” Aldo made his professional MMA debut back in 2004 against Mario Bigola at EcoFight 1. Victory would be his within 18 seconds by way of knockout (head kick).
From 2006 all the way until 2015, the man was virtually untouchable. Remaining undefeated across a staggering total of 18 fights, half of which were title fights or title defences, he ascending to the WEC throne, before being promoted to the status of UFC featherweight champion after the company merger.
It’s a damn shame his achievements are often overshadowed by his stunning 13-second knockout loss against the vaunted Conor McGregor. Despite this, true to the mindset that helped him escape the favelas of Manaus, Brazil with nothing but his fists, Aldo persevered and set out to rebuild his career. Along the way, he’d encounter such monstrous talent as Max Holloway (twice), current pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski, Marlon Moraes, and Petr Yan.
Jose Aldo retires at the age of 36 with:
- 31 Wins (17 x knockouts | 1 x submission | 13 x decisions)
- 8 Losses (4 x knockouts | 1 x submission | 3 x decisions)
- 3 Featherweight Championship Titles (1 x WEC | 2 x UFC)
- 9 Successful Title Defences
- And a whole lot of thankful fans
Check out the King of Rio’s finest moments below.
Side note: who knows… maybe we’ll see him enter a boxing ring a la compatriot and fellow UFC legend Anderson Silva?
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