There are very few fighters in the UFC who have had a success like Jose Aldo. The Brazilian is a two-time UFC featherweight champion with seven successful title defenses. However, his brilliance just doesn’t end there itself. ‘Scarface’ is also a former WEC featherweight champion, and many more accolades follow him.

However, the Brazilian surprised everyone when he announced his retirement from the UFC in 2022 at 36 years old. The UFC also announced Aldo’s retirement via a tweet that read, “Congratulations @JoseAldoJunior on a legendary run.” But why exactly did he announce his retirement so soon? Let us take a closer look at the real reason behind it.

Why did Jose Aldo retire from the UFC?

Aldo (31-8) is without a doubt one of the top five fighters ever in mixed martial arts and definitely finds himself a place in the top 10. He was one of the most dominant fighters at 145 pounds in MMA history. The Brazilian striker held the UFC/WEC featherweight title from November 2009 to December 2015. However, he did lose a bit of track in the division after losing his title to Conor McGregor at UFC 194.

He did manage to win the interim belt after beating Frankie Edgar at UFC 200. However, Max Holloway dethroned him from the title again at UFC 212 after knocking him out in the third round. The pair collided again in the same year at UFC 218, but the result was exactly the same: a knockout win for ‘Blessed.’ The Brazilian, after failing to win the belt, decided to make a switch to the bantamweight division. He was on a three-fight winning streak when he took on the now-champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278.

However, he failed to get past the challenge of ‘The Machine’ and lost the fight via unanimous decision. Unfortunately, Aldo decided to retire after the particular fight, thus ending an era. The Brazilian at the time still had one fight left in his contract but the UFC allowed him to retire and try his hands in a new sport like boxing.

Aldo did feature in three boxing fights in the year 2023 after taking a break from MMA. However, the former champion returned to action at UFC 301, which took place in Brazil, and took on rising contender Jonathan Martinez. The 37-year-old used his supreme conditioning and his improved boxing skills to get past the challenge of the youngster. But why exactly did he return to the UFC?

‘Scarface’ reveals the reason behind his return at UFC 301

When UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight card for UFC 301, Brazilian fans were elated to see the name Jose Aldo. After two years, the Brazilian legend was making a return to his hometown. ‘Scarface’ said during a conversation with Shak, MMA pointed out that he had been eyeing a comeback for a long time. He said, “I had been focused on boxing. I took some vacation at the end of last year and, in January, started talking to my coach about possibly making a comeback.” Aldo pointed out that the biggest reason for his announcement of retirement was that he wanted to take a break from the sport and let his body recover.