Jose Aldo 'grateful and thankful' for how UFC booked him in final years of Hall of Fame career

Yahoo

20-05-2025

Jose Aldo is ready to move on from a life of combat sports.
The all-time great and former two-time UFC featherweight champion made his final walk to the Octagon two weeks ago at UFC 315 for a clash with Canadian contender Aiemann Zahabi. Aldo put on his typical thrilling display, going to war with Zahabi for 15 minutes before losing a unanimous decision and then announcing the end of his days as an active UFC competitor.
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Aldo, 38, first retired — or really, stepped away from MMA specifically — in 2022, which led him to a brief stint in boxing until he returned to the UFC in 2024. However, Aldo explained on Tuesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show" that this time he's done for good.
"I made the decision right then and there, win or lose, independent of the result, I was sure of what was going to happen," Aldo said of UFC 315. "As you know, I stopped for boxing for a brief period of time, and there was something in my heart that touched me to go back to the UFC. I didn't do it for the money. I did it to continue my story and my history, because if it was for the money, I would have gone to another organization and got more money for it.
"Win or lose, the decision was made. It was hard even for me, to put on gloves or even a gi. But for now, we made the decision to stop. I'm not fighting again. I have other things going on for me."
Still a resident of his native Brazil, Aldo noted that he made his decision during his camp as he continued to train hard and maximize his preparation. Once he told his wife, she "couldn't believe it," he said.
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The former world champion had been a consistent competitor since 2004. In the UFC, Aldo defended the featherweight title seven times, with two more defenses coming in the WEC before it was acquired by the UFC.
Although MMA retirements historically never last, if anyone is going to know when to walk away, you'd have to think it's arguably Brazil's best to ever do it. Even on the night of UFC 315, Aldo felt that he was making the right decision.
"I couldn't see myself doing it," Aldo said. "Then, when we got into the locker room, I just said, 'No, this is it. I don't have it in me anymore. I don't want to do this anymore. I don't feel the pleasure of putting on gloves and doing this anymore.'"
Aldo's final UFC stretch left a lot to be desired regarding his the stature of his opposition. In his last three outings, Aldo battled fledgling top-10 contenders who were on the rise and looking to make a name off him. He did so rather than fighting fellow legends and legacy bouts, like the long-coveted WEC superfight between Aldo and Dominick Cruz.
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Ultimately, however, the matchmaking played out just how Aldo hoped it would.
"There was no regrets," Aldo said. "Only being grateful and thankful for [UFC matchmaker] Sean [Shelby] for the matchmaking, because it's always going to be a show, regardless of the opponent. Whether it's young and upcoming, I'm always going to be ready. I'm ready, I don't worry about myself and what I can do. I know I can deliver, and I was always prepared.
"I always told [coach Andre] 'Dede' [Pederneiras] about this — if I'm getting superfights against older dudes, that means I'm not there, [nor is] the dream of being a champ. I trained and worked and wanted to be a champion. So that means if I fought a guy like Cruz, maybe people would just see it as, 'These dudes are older.' What are we putting the fight on for? Just people to watch? That's outside of that dream of wanting to be a champion and training for that. Training and fighting, everybody just looked at me like, 'You look great.'
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"Basically, I would tell people, if I don't beat the up-and-comers, if I don't get through those challenges, then why am I here? Why compete?" Aldo continued. "Because I want to be a champion, and I wanted to be the best. So I'm just very thankful for Sean Shelby and the matchmaking. Everything 'Dede' and myself asked for, he got it."
The last win in Aldo's illustrious career will officially go down as his unanimous decision against Jonathan Martinez in May 2024. Martinez was Aldo's comeback opponent after his first MMA retirement, and the fight itself showed that Aldo hadn't missed a beat.
Prior to the Zahabi fight, Aldo fell short in another split decision opposite Mario Bautista. That was arguably the more controversial result between the two, but Aldo believes he clearly should've had his hand raised against Zahabi.
Jose Aldo was still as dangerous as ever in his final UFC fight. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
(Chris Unger via Getty Images)
"In my memory, yeah, I won the first round well," Aldo said of UFC 315. "The second two, I thought I got those as well, then I had two knockdowns in the third round, and I was thinking, 'What could he have done to win that round?' I started looking at the time and thought that everything that had happened in the third round, the fight was just with a minute to go, I thought the fight was about to end. So, at that point, when the takedown happened and it went to the ground, I just held back in guard and thought I won. There was nothing that could have happened that lost it, but I did not watch the fight. I don't plan on it.
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"Messages came pouring [in] from people, saying I won clearly. Dana [White] came to me and said I won that fight. I think now, it's in the past."
Life outside of fighting has already been fruitful for Aldo over the years. He's stayed busy with business projects over the years, such as his hamburger restaurant. Going forward, Aldo promised that combat finally won't be at the center of his life, though that doesn't mean fans may not see him back again in some capacity outside the cage.
"I'm going to be leaving the fight world a bit," Aldo said. "Obviously, I'm still very involved with Pederneiras Boxing. I train twice a week. I'm deep into that and I'm working on that, but there are other things I want to do with my life. I have other goals, other businesses and other funds that I'm working on. More jobs, being a speaker. Not too knee-deep because I want to have my own time as well, but those are things I want to get involved in. I put my heart and soul into it so I'm studying from 8 [a.m.] to 11 [a.m.], and I get a workout in. In the afternoon, I study for three more hours, and then I go back and do more at the night. So I've just been pouring a lot into this. [I'm] still obviously involved with [Pederneiras] and I'll be involved with that. But until then, after that, leaving fighting for a bit.
"If the UFC needs me for anything, as far as a personality, it's my life, it's my family, so I'll always be there for the UFC if they need me for anything."