Jose Aldo has decided, once again, to call it quits.
The former UFC featherweight champion made his retirement official following a unanimous decision loss to Iman the Havi at UFC 315 in Montreal on Saturday.
Aldo, who is 38 years old, had come back to the Octagon after stepping away for a year and a half, following a defeat to Merab Dvalishvili in 2022. He shared his emotional thoughts in a post-fight interview, stating that his career has reached its conclusion.
“I don’t think I have that in me anymore,” Aldo expressed through an interpreter after his UFC Hall of Fame induction in 2023. “This week was extremely challenging, and I felt I lacked that edge.”
The match itself was tight, and Aldo displayed some of his earlier brilliance, but ultimately, it wasn’t sufficient, leading to a score of 29-28 across the board.
In the third round, he managed to connect with a strong right hand that shifted the momentum—if only for a moment.
However, Zahabi found his footing and capitalized on Aldo’s evident fatigue, scoring with a flurry of strikes that solidified his victory.
The unanimous decision stirred some debate.
Many current and former UFC fighters weighed in on the scoring, with suggestions that Aldo may not have received a fair assessment. Lightweight contender Renato Moicano called it “perhaps one of the worst decisions in the sport” and referred to it as a “F-King Robbery.”
Angela Hill, a prominent strawweight, questioned how it could have happened, while former Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson labeled it a “bad call.”
Aldo pressed on in the fight despite being advised to pull out. He disclosed that he entered the ring carrying multiple injuries and was actually encouraged to withdraw.
“This fight was tough,” Aldo noted. “I had a muscle tear in my arm and some issues in my belly. I was quite unwell, with viral infections and various other problems.” Ultimately, he chose to fight because, as he put it, “I knew this would be my last match.”
“I don’t want to keep putting myself through this,” he reflected. “I don’t have that fighting spirit any longer… I believe this is the last time you’ll see me. I can’t do this anymore.”
With a professional record standing at 32 wins to 10 losses, Aldo will forever be remembered as a major figure in MMA.
His Hall of Fame career includes 17 victories by knockout, becoming the first featherweight champion in the organization after claiming the WEC title before its merger with the UFC in 2010.
Aldo held the championship from 2009 to 2015, winning seven titles—a record in the UFC—until being knocked out by Conor McGregor in just 13 seconds during a December 2015 clash.
