Jose Aldo, a UFC featherweight division fighter, announced his retirement Sunday. Finishing his career 31-8, he’s been argued to be one of the top 5 fighters in MMA but easily be top 10.
At 145 pounds, Aldo went 18-0 from 2006 to 2014 and held the UFC/WEC featherweight title from November 2009 to December 2015. During his reign as featherweight champion, he accumulated 9 title defenses, the new current record for most title defenses for the division.
Within that 18-0 run, he fought and defeated the likes of Uriah Faber, Frankie Edgar, Marlon Vera, Kenny Florian, Cub Swanson, Mike Brown, and defeated Chad Mendes twice. The streak was cut short during UFC 194 when Conor McGregor defeated Jose via knockout.
This did not stop him however, Aldo refurnished his career and win the featherweight title again and then dropped to the bantamweight in 2019 and challenged for the belt. After winning three fights in a row, he was on the verge of another title shot but lost to Merab Dvalishvili last month at UFC 278.
The MMA star will end his career with a 21-7 record between his time in the UFC and in WEC, which was a part of the organization in 2011.
Henry Cejudo, another UFC fighter, was challenged by Jose Aldo before the pandemic shut down any outside traveling. However, the bout was moved from Brazil to America because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced him out of the title picture.
This did not hinder Cejudo’s thoughts on Aldo however, who he claims is a true Hall-of-Famer if he’s ever seen one. “He’s a legend”, stated Cejudo. “Sometimes you can be given Hall of Fames in the UFC, but this one is truly, truly earned, and he’s one of the greatest of all time”
The fighter has been taken from UFC external rankings, which is a sign the that he is no longer a member of the active roster. Expressing interest in competing in other combat sports promotions, the hope is that Aldo is released from his current contract.
Fortunately, the prize fighter’s request was granted release via Andre Pederneiras, Jose’s coach and manager. The UFC has still yet to comment on the status of the contract.
Written By Daylontie Jasper
Sources:
ESPN: Former longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo, 36, retires from UFC after ‘legendary run’; by Marc Raimondi
Yahoo Sports: Henry Cejudo reacts to ‘greatest featherweight’ Jose Aldo’s retirement: ‘Time for him to make money; by Farah Hannoun
Feature and Inset Image Courtesy of Andrius Petrucenia‘s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License
