Rise to Success: Career Highlights of José Aldo

How José Aldo built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

José Aldo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer, renowned for his achievements in the Featherweight division. He was the final WEC Featherweight Champion and the inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion, defending his UFC title seven times and his WEC title twice. Widely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever, Aldo's legacy is particularly strong in the featherweight class.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

August 2004: First Professional MMA Fight at EcoFight 1

On August 2004, at the age of 17, José Aldo had his first professional MMA fight at EcoFight 1, defeating Mário Bigola by knockout in just 16 seconds.

May 2005: Victory at Rio MMA Challenge 1

On May 2005, José Aldo defeated Aritano Silva Barbosa at Rio MMA Challenge 1, winning by knockout in 20 seconds.

October 2005: Defeats Micky Young at FX3- Battle of Britain

On October 2005, José Aldo traveled to England and defeated Micky Young at FX3- Battle of Britain by TKO in the first round.

November 2005: First MMA Defeat

In November 2005, José Aldo experienced his first MMA defeat, marking a turning point after which he remained undefeated for a decade.

November 2005: Loss at Jungle Fight 5

In November 2005, José Aldo fought Luciano Azevedo at Jungle Fight 5, going up a weight class to lightweight and losing the fight.

May 2006: Victory Over Thiago "Minu" Meller

On May 2006, José Aldo rebounded from his previous loss by defeating Thiago "Minu" Meller at Gold Fighters Championship I via unanimous decision after a close fight.

2007: Victory at Pancrase 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals

In 2007, José Aldo defeated Shoji Maruyama at the Pancrase 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals via unanimous decision, dominating both standing and on the ground.

June 2008: WEC Debut

On June 2008, José Aldo made his World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) debut at WEC 34 in Sacramento, California, defeating Alexandre Franca Nogueira.

June 2009: Victory at WEC 41

On June 2009, José Aldo won his fight at WEC 41 against Cub Swanson with a double flying knee in eight seconds.

November 2009: WEC Featherweight Champion

On November 2009, José Aldo won the WEC Featherweight Championship against Mike Brown at WEC 44 by TKO in the second round.

2009: Sherdog's Fighter of the Year

In 2009, José Aldo was named Sherdog's Fighter of the Year, acknowledging his accomplishments in MMA.

April 2010: Defeats Urijah Faber at WEC 48

On April 2010, José Aldo defeated Urijah Faber via unanimous decision at WEC 48, successfully defending his title.

September 2010: Title Defense Against Manny Gamburyan at WEC 51

On September 2010, José Aldo defended his title against Manny Gamburyan by KO in the second round at WEC 51.

October 2010: WEC Merges with UFC

On October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, transferring all WEC fighters, including José Aldo, to the UFC.

November 2010: Inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion

On Saturday, November 20, 2010, José Aldo was crowned the inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion as part of the merger between WEC and UFC, receiving the first-ever UFC featherweight title belt at UFC 123.

April 2011: First Title Defense Against Mark Hominick at UFC 129

On April 2011, José Aldo made his first title defense against Mark Hominick at UFC 129, winning by unanimous decision in a fight that earned Fight of the Night honors.

October 2011: Second Title Defense Against Kenny Florian at UFC 136

On October 2011, José Aldo had his second title defense against Kenny Florian at UFC 136, where he won by unanimous decision.

January 2012: Victory Against Chad Mendes at UFC 142

On January 2012, José Aldo faced Chad Mendes at UFC 142 and won via KO in the final second of the first round. His post-fight celebration became iconic.

August 2013: Defeats Chan Sung Jung at UFC 163

On August 2013, at UFC 163, José Aldo defeated Chan Sung Jung via fourth-round TKO after Jung dislocated his shoulder.

February 2014: Title Defense Against Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169

On February 2014, at UFC 169, José Aldo defended his title by defeating Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision.

August 2014: Pulled Out of UFC 176

In early August 2014, José Aldo pulled out of his scheduled fight against Chad Mendes at UFC 176 due to an injury.

October 2014: Defeats Chad Mendes at UFC 179

On October 2014, José Aldo defeated Chad Mendes at UFC 179 by unanimous decision, earning Fight of the Night and Fight of the Year honors.

July 2015: Pulls Out of UFC 189

On July 2015, José Aldo pulled out of his scheduled fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 189 due to a rib injury.

December 2015: McGregor Wins Featherweight Belt

Conor McGregor won the UFC Featherweight belt in December 2015, leading to Aldo being promoted to Featherweight Champion in November 2016 after McGregor was stripped of the title.

December 2015: Loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 194

In December 2015, at UFC 194, José Aldo lost to Conor McGregor, ending his decade-long undefeated streak.

July 2016: Interim UFC Featherweight Championship Win

On July 2016, at UFC 200, José Aldo defeated Frankie Edgar in a rematch to win the interim UFC Featherweight Championship.

November 2016: Promotion to Featherweight Champion

On November 2016, José Aldo was promoted to undisputed UFC Featherweight Champion after Conor McGregor was stripped of the title.

June 2017: Title Unification Bout Loss to Max Holloway at UFC 212

On June 2017, José Aldo faced Max Holloway at UFC 212 in a title unification bout and lost by TKO in the third round, though the fight earned him Fight of the Night bonus.

December 2017: Loss to Max Holloway at UFC 218

In December 2017, José Aldo replaced an injured Frankie Edgar and faced Max Holloway in a rematch at UFC 218, losing the fight via TKO in the third round.

July 2018: Victory Against Jeremy Stephens at UFC on Fox 30

On July 2018, José Aldo faced Jeremy Stephens at UFC on Fox 30 and won by TKO, earning the Performance of the Night award.

February 2019: Victory Against Renato Moicano at UFC Fight Night 144

On February 2019, José Aldo faced Renato Moicano at UFC Fight Night 144 and won via TKO in the second round, earning the Performance of the Night award.

September 2022: Retirement Announcement

On September 18, 2022, the same day as the birth of his son, it was announced that José Aldo had retired from MMA with one fight remaining on his UFC contract. Despite initial reports, Aldo remains under contract with the UFC but was granted permission to pursue opportunities in other sports.

May 2024: UFC 301 Victory Over Jonathan Martinez

On May 4, 2024, José Aldo faced Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 and won the fight by unanimous decision, marking his return from retirement.

October 2024: UFC Bantamweight Ranking

As of October 2024, José Aldo is ranked #11 in the UFC bantamweight division.

October 2024: UFC 307 Loss to Mario Bautista

On October 5, 2024, at UFC 307, José Aldo faced Mario Bautista and lost the fight by split decision, despite defending ten out of ten takedowns. Media outlets were split in their scoring of the bout for both Aldo and Bautista.