Legendary MMA fighter Jose Aldo, known as the `King of Rio`, officially confirmed his retirement from the UFC for a second time, experiencing a touching moment in front of his home crowd. The UFC Rio event served as the perfect stage for the former featherweight champion to finally “hang up his gloves”. In a packed Farmasi Arena, Aldo got the chance to gracefully conclude his career after a controversial second run.
Despite his status as one of the greatest featherweights of all time, his most recent fights did not yield the desired results. Last year, Aldo was outscored by Mario Bautista at UFC 307, and then, unable to make bantamweight, he lost to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 in May.
Jose Aldo Symbolically Lays Down Gloves in Emotional UFC Rio Moment
Just after the start of the UFC Rio main card, Jose Aldo entered the octagon, holding a pair of gloves and flanked by his family. Holding back tears amidst the crowd`s thunderous cheers, he symbolically placed the gloves on the canvas, bidding farewell to the sport.
His initial retirement announcement came in September 2022 but lasted less than a year. After a series of exhibition and professional boxing matches, Aldo returned to the UFC in May 2024. He secured an impressive victory over Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in Brazil. However, unfortunately, his latest comeback did not lead him to a bantamweight title shot, despite having previously held the featherweight championship belt twice.
Jose Aldo Explains Retirement: “My Body Refused to Obey”
Aldo was scheduled to face Zahabi in a bantamweight clash at UFC 315 in Canada in May. However, during fight week, he stopped his weight cut, and after a peculiar “adrenaline dump” during the fight itself (which was rescheduled to featherweight), he confirmed that his body had simply given up on him.
“That might have been my last time in the octagon,” he wrote at the time. “During this week I lived one of the biggest battles of my life, and it was not against an opponent, but within me. The past few years I have re-fueled the dream of being a champion. Trained like always, delivered like never before.”
“But as I was cutting weight, something inside me said, `You don`t need it anymore.` And I listened. It`s time to move on. To live for my wife, for my children. To celebrate the story I wrote with every war, every belt conquered with blood, sweat, and faith.”
“Thank you Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta. Thank you, UFC. And most of all: thank you my fans. You guys were fuel on every walk to the octagon. You made me king.”
“If this was my farewell, know that I`m leaving in peace. Heart full of gratitude and head held high. Because I have made history. Because I lived my dream. Because most of all, I`ve been true to myself.”
