Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the vacant bantamweight title against Petr Yan on Saturday night at UFC 251, losing out by TKO in the final round, but he appears to be taking the defeat well and has vowed to come back stronger.
“Today I woke up thinking about what to say to everyone, and what I have to say is that defeat is part of the sport, it is part of my life and only one who does not fight does not lose,” aldo wrote on Instagram.⠀
“I did my best in this fight, I did my best and best in training, I did my best in my diet, even in times of pandemic I fought for what I wanted, but unfortunately it didn’t.
“Nobody more than I really wanted that belt, I really wanted to make history but my opponent did better yesterday and he has his merits.
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“But people tend to carry the idea of a perfect world and forget that losing a battle does not make you capable of humiliating, let alone discarding the other.
“Empathy is always putting yourself in the other’s shoes. I will come back much stronger than I already am.
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“My gratitude goes out to my Nova União team, my friends, fans and my family to whom I dedicate my best every day. ⠀
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Strength and honor always! ⠀
God is with us.”