By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
One of the best mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters the world has ever seen will be calling it a career after 12 years in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Jose Aldo, the pride of Brazil, will no longer fight on the legendary octagon stage after announcing that he is stepping away from the sport.
The former UFC pound-for-pound king made up his mind after absorbing another career loss during his last fight against Merab Dvalishvili.
Despite a close encounter against the upcoming UFC star, Aldo was still firm with his decision and will go down as one of the most dominant featherweight champions of MMA.
Before entering the UFC, Aldo was a force to be reckoned with in the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) MMA league and became its featherweight champion after finishing Mike Brown in just two rounds.
However, Aldo carried his weight class in the UFC after a merger with WEC was agreed upon by both parties. From there, the tagged “King of Rio” defended his championship belt seven times, the no.1 ranked streak of title defenses by a champion.
Aldo was one of the most electrifying fighters in the UFC and was famous for his deadly and precise leg kicks.
Aside from his leg kicks, Aldo’s aggressiveness and efficient striking also helped him successfully defend his featherweight title seven times before losing at the hands of Conor McGregor.
It was the biggest fight in UFC featherweight history but the results favored the Irish superstar after knocking out Aldo in just 13 seconds of the first round.
Aldo will hang up his gloves with an impressive 31-8 MMA record with 17 knockouts and will leave the UFC as one of its greatest featherweight champions.
