Jose Aldo is widely considered as the greatest featherweight in the history of mixed martial arts. This Brazilian fighter is a three-time UFC featherweight champion and was ranked as high as #1 pound for pound in 2015 UFC rankings. His takedown defense is also recognized as one of the best in all of MMA, landing him on the UFC’s A-list when it comes to takedowns.
Born Jose Aldo da Silva on September 9, 1986, he is also known as “Junior” in MMA. He was raised in poverty in the Amazons and has a prominent scar on his face due to being rolled into a barbecue pit by his sisters when he was a baby. Despite the hesitation of his parents, Aldo moved from Manaus to Rio de Janeiro at the age of 17 - having only his clothes with him and a determination to train in MMA until he achieved something in the sport.
He debuted in MMA on August 2004 and won his first seven fights, most of which were by knockout. He suffered his first loss on November 2005, when a rear naked choke by Luciano Azevedo forced him into submission in round two of their fight. He debuted in WEC on June 2008 against Alexander Nogueira. Since he began playing in WEC, he has won six consecutive fights against all his opponent, including his November 2009 match against Mike Brown where he won the WEC Featherweight Championship.
He also fought in the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), the sister promotion of the UFC. Aldo was the fourth and final champion in the featherweight division and thus, became the first and featherweight champion during the merger between UFC and WEC (2010). He was a three-time recipient of the WEC Knockout of the Night Honors. He has also been chosen as the 2009 Fighter of the Year by Sherdog and ESPN’s MMA Live.
At present, he trains with the Nova União MMA Team where he continues to develop his skills in Muay Thai and in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where he holds a black belt. His MMA fights since 2009 has all been successful which earned him an impressive record of 30 fights with 26 wins and 4 losses.
