Jose Aldo and Rob Font at UFC Vegas 44
In the wake of Jose Aldo’s retirement from MMA, we take a look at how many times he has been knocked out in his pro-MMA career
Featherweight king Jose Aldo made his MMA debut 18 years ago and it’s been a memorable run so far. The Brazilian delivered some of the most iconic moments inside the octagon and enthralled MMA fans with the countless battles he participated in. The inaugural UFC featherweight champion called an end to an illustrious career and it feels like the end of an era.
On 28 October 2010, WEC merged with the UFC and as part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Aldo became the inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion, receiving the first ever UFC featherweight title belt on Saturday, 20 November 2010 at UFC 123.
He retained his throne seven times and remain undefeated for almost 10 years. Aldo made his first title defense against Mark Hominick on 30 April 2011, at UFC 129 by defeating the Canadian by a unanimous decision in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors.
Jose Aldo has only been knocked out once in his career when he lost his belt to Conor McGregor at UFC 196. He also has three TKO losses on his record.
Aldo was extremely poor growing up and often went on days with little to no food. WEC general manager Reed Harris states, “They were telling me that Wagnney Fabiano would be at the gym, and José would show up, and Wagnney would say, ‘Have you eaten today or yesterday?’ If not, they would go get him some food. That’s how poor he was.” When asked in an interview with WEC what his motivation is, Aldo replied, “My personal desires. My dream, my goal is to own my own house. This dream motivates me more and more as I get closer to fulfilling it.” The Brazilian film Mais Forte que o Mundo was based on his early life.
Aldo is married to Vivianne Perreira, who has a purple belt in jiu-jitsu and has fought twice professionally in Muay Thai. Their daughter Joanna was born in 2012. On September 18, 2022, Vivianne gave birth to the couple’s first son, José Aldo III. Aldo and his wife welcomed another son into the world, and the Brazilian will enjoy retirement with his family and newest addition to the family.
Aldo is an avid football fan and supports Clube de Regatas do Flamengo and English Premier League club Chelsea FC.
Henry Cejudo was amongst the first to express his gratitude towards Aldo for his contribution to the sport of MMA-
”I always wonder what could’ve been. I spent a whole camp training to fight Jose Aldo in Brazil, but COVID changed everything. I was looking forward to the challenge & crazy atmosphere. Happy retirement to one of the greatest featherweights in MMA history @josealdojunior”
Former competitor Petr Yan paid tribute to Aldo-
”One of the best to ever do it. Enjoy your retirement legend @josealdojunior”
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