After leaving the door open for a potential return, Jose Aldo has now made it clear that his fighting days are over.
Jose Aldo is officially calling it a career in combat sports.
The UFC Hall of Famer removed his gloves in the octagon after losing a unanimous decision to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 in Montreal. At that moment, Aldo (32-10 MMA, 14-9 UFC) declared he didn’t have it in him to compete anymore, but in a follow-up statement, he appeared to leave the door open for the possibility of fighting again.
Now, Aldo, 38, has made it clear: he is retiring from combat sports.
Aldo released a statement on Instagram, accompanied by photos from a press conference Saturday at Nova Uniao’s training center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statement written in Portuguese reads (translated by Instagram):
The cage has always been my place. The Struggle, My Life.Today, I end this cycle with my soul in peace.I’m not going back because I have already fulfilled my purpose — with blood, sweat, discipline and honor.Been years of totally focused and dedicated to this.Now it’s time to live and enjoy alongside my family, to help those who are starting and to inspire beyond the octagon.Thanks to those who walked with me.Happy for all I’ve achieved!
According to MMA Fighting, Aldo stated at the press conference that no matter the fight offered, he would not return to fighting again. “Junior” will walk away from MMA on a two-fight skid of decision losses to Mario Bautista and Zahabi, with his last victory coming at UFC 301 by way of unanimous decision over Jonathan Martinez.
“No, I have another purpose in life, another path,” Aldo said at the press conference. “Offer me any fight, wherever it is, I don’t want to. I don’t see myself fighting anymore, or training, or doing anything like that. Of course, I do see myself training here to help my friends. I know how hard that is, so if I can help in any way with the experience I have, I will help with all my heart. But to specifically put a gi or anything like that to fight, never again.”
The former WEC and UFC featherweight champion first walked away from MMA in 2022 after current champ Merab Dvalishvili ended his three-fight winning streak. However, Aldo remained active in combat sports by testing his hands in the boxing ring, where he went the distance with three opponents to build a record of 2-0-1. During that stretch, Aldo was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He then returned to action in May 2024 to pick up his final victory against Martinez.
