Jose Aldo is laying down his mixed martial arts gloves again. On Saturday, former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo announced his second retirement. The decision came after losing to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 in a fight many spectators thought Aldo won.
Aldo and Zahabi fought for three hard rounds in Montreal. The first two rounds were closely contested, and although Zahabi significantly outstruck Aldo in Round 3, Aldo knocked down Zahabi. The judges cagside unanimously scored the fight 29-28 for Aldo, but 75% of MMA media and fans polled by MMA Decisions thought Aldo deserved the nod. Despite the mildly controversial outcome, Aldo wasn’t inspired by his opponents.
“Thank you to Dana [White], to Sean [Shelby], to Lorenzo Fertitta, for everybody in the UFC for everything they’ve given me,” Aldo said through a Portuguese interpreter. “I don’t think I have it in me anymore. This was a tough week. It just wasn’t about cutting the weight and everything else. I just felt there were so many things that happened. It was very tough to go through all this.
“There was one point this week, it was a very tough week, that I felt I didn’t have it in me. I didn’t want to cut anymore. My body said no and I just don’t think I have it anymore. I don’t want to go into war all the time and go through this. I just don’t have it in my heart anymore. I think this is the last time you’re going to see me. I can’t do this anymore.”
Aldo fought at featherweight for the first time since 2019 after failing to make the planned bantamweight limit. He previously retired in 2022, taking a boxing detour before returning for three additional UFC fights.
The former UFC and WEC featherweight champ, who also challenged for the UFC bantamweight title, is a fixture in the debate for all-time featherweight great. His legendary 18-fight winning streak included wins over Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes (twice), Urijah Faber, Cub Swanson and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Aldo also shared the cage with fellow UFC champions Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski and Merab Dvalishvili. He retires with a 32-10 record and was inducted into the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame.
