Jose Aldo States He Faced ‘Biggest Battles Of My Life’ Prior To UFC 315

Once known as the greatest featherweight fighter of all time, Jose Aldo of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (32-10) may have seen his last fight inside the Octagon.

On Saturday night, at UFC 315, Aldo lost a razor-thin decision to Montreal, Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi (13-2). The bout was originally booked at 135 pounds, but Aldo stopped his weight cut on Friday and came in just below the featherweight limit. To save the contest, the two decided to move the fight up 10 pounds.

Aldo looked to have the fight finished, landing a nasty soccer kick that floored Zahabi, however, the Canadian showed resilience and bounced back to earn the unanimous decision. This was a decision, that not all were in favor of, including 16-media members that take part in scoring fights on MMA Decisions — scoring the fight 29-28 in favor of the Brazilian.

Jose Aldo Releases Statement

This may have been my last time inside the Octagon.
This week, I faced one of the biggest battles of my life, and it wasn’t against an opponent, but within myself.

Over the past few years, I rekindled the dream of becoming a champion once again. I trained as I always did, gave… pic.twitter.com/Cv9FVWsLt7

— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) May 11, 2025

“This may have been my last time inside the Octagon. This week, I faced one of the biggest battles of my life, and it wasn’t against an opponent, but within myself. Over the past few years, I rekindled the dream of becoming a champion once again. I trained as I always did, gave more than I ever had,” Aldo stated.

But while cutting weight, something inside me said: “You don’t need to do this anymore.” And I listened. It’s time to move forward. To live for my wife, for my kids. To celebrate the story I wrote with every war, every belt earned through blood and faith. Thank you, Dana White and @lorenzofertita. Thank you to the UFC. And most of all — thank you, my fans. You were the fuel behind every walk to the cage. You made me a king. If this was my farewell, know that I leave in peace. With a heart full of gratitude and my head held high. Because I made history. Because I lived my dream. Because, above all, I stayed true to myself.”

The 38-year-old, who reigned king for many years, retired for the first time in 2022, but returned after three professional boxing appearances in 2024. Since returning, Aldo went 1-2 inside the Octagon.

Jose Aldo was the former WEC featherweight champion, prior to the UFC purchasing the company in 2011. He lost his UFC featherweight championship to Conor McGregor of Dublin, Ireland (22-6) in 2015. The Brazlian was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023 following his 2022 retirement.