Former UFC champion, Jose Aldo, on this Saturday has announced his retirement from MMA sport. The Brazilian reached an agreement with the UFC to end his contract, according to reports.
Aldo steps away from MMA with a 13-7 UFC record and one of the most lengthy accolade lists in promotion history.
Aldo stepped into the Octagon was at UFC 278, in August, in the United States, where he lost to Georgian Merab Dvalishvili by points at bantamweight, in a balanced fight.
Despite not fighting for the featherweight title, his most successful category, since 2020, when he was defeated by Russian Petr Yan, Aldo’s announcement shocked the mixed martial arts community, which reacted on social media.
Some fans were expecting a fight against Dominick Cruz, former bantamweight champion and division legend, while others were betting on a move to other tournaments when he ended his career in Ultimate, such as Bellator and Asian ONE, or even continuity in the organisation.
The 36-year-old fighter has won 31 fights and lost just eight, holding the featherweight title for many years. Indeed, the location of his last fight, against Dvalishvili, was in the same place where Michael Jordan made his final basketball game: Vivint Arena, in Utah, USA.
The decision passed a lot through the personal life of the fighter, who is expecting his second child with his wife Viviane. And even with all the speculation, he already indicated his retirement at the end of his contract with the UFC.
The “King of Rio” entered the UFC as a featherweight champion, a merit won in the former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), commanded by the same producer as Ultimate and merged with the organisation in 2010.
The Brazilian defended the title until 2015 and went undefeated, counting all competitions, for ten years.
