Jose Aldo officially announces retirement at UFC Rio event, leaves gloves in octagon

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo officially announced his retirement during UFC Fight Night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The UFC Hall of Famer entered the octagon to crowd cheers and ceremonially left his gloves following his final fight at UFC 315 in May. Aldo, known as "The King of Rio," made his retirement official in his hometown during the weekend UFC Fight Night event.

The Brazilian fighter's octagon walk at UFC 315 in May represented his final competitive appearance.Aldo captured the 145-pound championship at WEC 44 in November 2009, defeating Mike Brown via technical knockout. He became the inaugural UFC featherweight champion following his WEC 51 title defense in 2010.

Aldo held the featherweight title until 2015 when he lost to Conor McGregor via knockout. He reclaimed the featherweight championship at UFC 200, defeating Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision. Aldo's second title reign ended with a loss to Max Holloway.


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Jose Aldo announces retirement for second time in UFC career

The 39-year-old fighter previously announced retirement on September 18, 2022, coinciding with his son's birth. Aldo returned to competition in May 2024, defeating Jonathan Martinez via unanimous decision in Rio de Janeiro.

Aldo lost his final two fights, both via controversial decisions. The Brazilian holds multiple UFC records including the most successful title defenses in featherweight history with seven consecutive defenses.

UFC Hall of Fame inductee set featherweight division records

Aldo competed in the most title fights in featherweight history throughout his UFC career. The UFC inducted Aldo into its Hall of Fame in 2023, recognizing his contributions to the featherweight division and mixed martial arts.

His retirement marks the end of a career that established the featherweight division's competitive standards and produced numerous memorable fights in UFC history.