Jose Aldo announced that he’s likely going to retire after suffering a decision loss to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 in Montreal, Canada on Saturday night, and afterwards he revealed that he’d headed into the event knowing that it was going to be his last.
“This fight was hard,” Aldo told UFC Brazil on the night of the event. “I had a muscle tear on the arm, I had something on the belly that I forgot the name, down there, [from] kicking a lot. I had some problems. A virus infection, a bunch of things. The doctors [said], ‘Get him out of the fight,’ but I didn’t want to because in my head I knew this could be my last fight.”
“I wanted to end here in Canada,” Aldo continued. “I started here, and wanted to end here. I could end it in Brazil or some place else, but no. My story started here in Canada, this is where I first fought in the UFC against Mark Hominick. But it’s part [of life].”
Aldo went on to reiterate that regardless of who he had been fighting or the end-result, that he’d decided that this was the right time to hang up his gloves and enjoy his retirement after a long and very successful career.
“I had that in mind already, was talking to [coach] ‘Dede’ [Pederneiras] and [Aldo’s wife] Viviane [Pereira], that I wanted to cross to the other side,” Aldo said. “I think it’s more of the mindset of getting in there — I wouldn’t say I was full of it, but to see I really have to cross to the other side. I always demand a lot from myself, but now I want to enjoy my family, be a father, pick up my kids at school. That’s what I want to do.”
Aldo has since issued a statement to his fans confirming his decision.
“This may have been my last time inside the Octagon. This week, I faced one of the biggest battles of my life, and it wasn’t against an opponent, but within myself. Over the past few years, I rekindled the dream of becoming a champion once again. I trained as I always did, gave more than I ever had. But while cutting weight, something inside me said: “You don’t need to do this anymore.” And I listened.
“It’s time to move forward. To live for my wife, for my kids. To celebrate the story I wrote with every war, every belt earned through blood and faith. Thank you, Dana White and @lorenzofertita. Thank you to the UFC. And most of all — thank you, my fans. You were the fuel behind every walk to the cage. You made me a king. If this was my farewell, know that I leave in peace. With a heart full of gratitude and my head held high. Because I made history. Because I lived my dream. Because, above all, I stayed true to myself.”
The UFC’s inaugural featherweight champion, Aldo went on to defend the title 7 times during his first reign, while also winning the interim title after that.
Over the course of his career Aldo beat the likes of Frankie Edgar (x2), Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, Kenny Florian, Mike Brown, The Korean Zombie, Marlon Vera, Renato Moicano and many more, and he now retires with an overall record of 32-10.
