José Aldo, one of the most respected and decorated fighters in UFC history, has announced his retirement following a brutal loss to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 in Montreal on Saturday night.
It was a painful end to a legendary career. Aldo, 38, started the fight looking sharp, but as the rounds went on, Zahabi took control. By the final bell, Aldo was bloodied, on his back, and taking a heavy beating.
“I don’t think I have it in me anymore,” he said through an interpreter after the fight. “This was a very tough week… I just didn’t have it in me.”
The week had been rough from the start. Aldo struggled to make weight, falling short of the bantamweight limit of 136 pounds. The UFC bumped the fight up to featherweight, but the damage — physically and mentally — had already taken its toll.
“I don’t want to go into war all the time and go through all this,” he said. “I just don’t have it in my heart anymore. I think this is the last time you’re going to see me. I can’t do this anymore.”
The King of Rio is hanging up the gloves🇧🇷👑
Congratulations on a great career inside the Octagon @JoseAldoJunior 👏
[ #UFC315 ] pic.twitter.com/xtDfO9SOBy
— UFC (@ufc) May 11, 2025
This marks Aldo’s second retirement. He first stepped away in 2022 to pursue professional boxing and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame the following year. In 2024, the cage called him back. He returned with a win, but followed it with two straight losses.
Aldo’s rise began in the WEC, where he became featherweight champion in 2009. When the UFC absorbed the promotion a year later, he was named the inaugural UFC featherweight champ — and he ruled the division for years.
He defended his title seven times before Conor McGregor famously ended his 18-fight win streak in 2015 with a 13-second knockout. Aldo went on to win an interim belt and was later reinstated as full champion, before eventually losing the title to Max Holloway in 2017.
Through it all, Aldo remained a fan favourite — a quiet, relentless competitor who let his fighting do the talking.
If this truly is the last time we see him in the Octagon, he leaves behind a legacy of excellence, grit, and greatness.
Photo: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
