A Look Back on Jose Aldo’s Hall of Fame Career
Jose Aldo is an MMA icon who is thought of as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history. The Brazilian fighter had one of the most dominant runs of all time in the Featherweight Division. He had an incredible 18-fight winning streak that carried over from his time at WEC, where he went 8-0. We look back at his remarkable career and performances that fans will remember forever.
In 2010, the ‘King of Rio’ was crowned the first-ever UFC Featherweight Champion. He went on to defend that title on seven different occasions. During that run, he beat the likes of Chad Mendes twice, Frankie Edgar, and Chan Sung Jung. At UFC 194, Conor McGregor ended his 18-fight winning streak. McGregor vacated his title in 2016, and Aldo was able to win his second Featherweight Championship in a rematch against Frankie Edgar.
In 2019, after a few losses in the Featherweight Division, Aldo decided to move down to the Bantamweight Division as he would try to become a two-division champion. He would lose his title bout against Petr Yan but would go on to win four of his last five fights, putting him at the top of the division. After a loss to Merab Dvalishvili, Aldo would call it a career for the first time. In 2023, Aldo was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing. After some success in boxing, he returned to the UFC in 2024, where he took on and beat Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. He would go 1-3 during this last stretch in the UFC. After his recent injuries and struggle making weight, this retirement decision is almost certainly permanent.
Jose Aldo was famous for his lightning-quick boxing, his devastating leg kicks, and his otherworldly takedown defense. Some of his biggest moments in his career would be his destruction of Urijah Faber’s leg when they fought at WEC. When Aldo fought Mendes in his third title defense, he broke away from the clinch and delivered a perfectly timed knee up the middle that knocked Mendes out. After he finished Mendes, Aldo rushed out of the octagon and celebrated with the packed crowd in Rio de Janeiro. An iconic moment. Whether you love Jose Aldo or you hate him, you have to undoubtedly respect what he has accomplished throughout his career and how good he truly was in his prime and past his prime. There will never be another Jose Aldo, the king will always reign supreme.
