History of José Aldo in Timeline

José Aldo is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist and boxer, renowned for his accomplishments in the UFC and WEC. He was the inaugural and longest-reigning UFC Featherweight Champion, defending the title seven times, and previously held the WEC Featherweight Championship twice. Also the former interim UFC Featherweight Champion, Aldo is widely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever, particularly regarded as one of history's best featherweights.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

September 1986: José Aldo's Birth in Manaus

On September 1986, José Aldo was born in Manaus, Brazil. As a baby, he was accidentally dropped onto a barbecue, leaving a permanent scar.

August 2004: First Professional MMA Fight

On 10 August 2004, at the age of 17, José Aldo fought his first professional MMA fight at EcoFight 1 against Mário Bigola, winning by knockout in 16 seconds.

May 2005: Victory at Rio MMA Challenge 1

On 12 May 2005, Aldo fought Aritano Silva Barbosa at Rio MMA Challenge 1, winning by knockout after landing knees and soccer kicks.

October 2005: TKO Victory at FX3- Battle of Britain

On 15 October 2005, Aldo traveled to England and defeated Micky Young at FX3- Battle of Britain by TKO in the first round.

November 2005: Loss to Luciano Azevedo at Jungle Fight 5

In November 2005, Aldo fought Luciano Azevedo at Jungle Fight 5, losing the fight, which was also his first MMA defeat.

November 2005: First MMA defeat

In November 2005, José Aldo suffered his first MMA defeat, after which he remained undefeated for a decade.

May 2006: Victory over Thiago Meller at Gold Fighters Championship I

On 20 May 2006, Aldo fought Thiago "Minu" Meller at Gold Fighters Championship I, winning by unanimous decision in a close fight.

2007: Victory in Pancrase 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals

In 2007, Aldo fought Shoji Maruyama in the Pancrase 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals, winning by unanimous decision.

June 2008: WEC Debut Victory

On 1 June 2008, José Aldo made his World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) debut at WEC 34 in Sacramento, California, defeating Alexandre Franca Nogueira.

June 2009: Victory Against Cub Swanson at WEC 41

On 7 June 2009, at WEC 41, José Aldo defeated Cub Swanson via double flying knee in just eight seconds of the first round.

November 2009: WEC Featherweight Championship Win

On 18 November 2009, José Aldo won the WEC Featherweight Championship against Mike Brown at WEC 44 by TKO in the second round. He was also named Fighter of the Year by MMA Live and Sherdog.com.

2009: Sherdog's Fighter of the Year

In 2009, José Aldo was named Sherdog's Fighter of the Year.

April 2010: Victory Against Urijah Faber at WEC 48

On 24 April 2010, José Aldo defeated Urijah Faber via unanimous decision at WEC 48, using effective leg and body kicks.

September 2010: Title Defense Against Manny Gamburyan

On 30 September 2010, at WEC 51, José Aldo defended his title against Manny Gamburyan, winning by KO in the second round.

October 2010: WEC Merges with UFC

On 28 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 20 November 2010, José Aldo became the inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion and received the first-ever UFC featherweight title belt at UFC 123.

April 2011: First UFC Title Defense

On 30 April 2011, at UFC 129, José Aldo made his first title defense against Mark Hominick, winning by unanimous decision and earning Fight of the Night honors.

October 2011: Second UFC Title Defense

On 8 October 2011, at UFC 136, José Aldo had his second title defense against Kenny Florian, winning by unanimous decision.

January 2012: Victory Against Chad Mendes at UFC 142

On 14 January 2012, at UFC 142, José Aldo faced Chad Mendes and won via KO in the final second of the first round. His celebration in Rio is considered iconic.

2012: Birth of daughter

In 2012, José Aldo and his wife Vivianne Perreira had their daughter.

August 2013: Victory Against Chan Sung Jung at UFC 163

On 3 August 2013, at UFC 163, José Aldo defeated Chan Sung Jung via fourth-round TKO after Jung suffered a dislocated shoulder.

February 2014: Title Defense Against Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169

On 1 February 2014, at UFC 169, José Aldo defended his title by defeating Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision.

August 2014: Pull Out of UFC 176 Due to Injury

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

September 2014: Awarded black belt in Luta Livre

On September 28, 2014, José Aldo was awarded his black belt in Luta Livre at Nova União under Mestre Roberto Leitão and other instructors.

October 2014: Victory Against Chad Mendes at UFC 179

On 25 October 2014, at UFC 179, José Aldo defeated Chad Mendes by unanimous decision in a rematch, earning Fight of the Night and Fight of the Year honors.

July 2015: Pull Out of UFC 189 Due to Injury

On 30 July 2015, José Aldo pulled out of his scheduled fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 189 due to a rib injury.

December 2015: Loss to Conor McGregor

In December 2015 Conor McGregor won the UFC Featherweight Championship, leading to Aldo being promoted to the title after McGregor was stripped of it for not defending it.

July 2016: Interim UFC Featherweight Championship Win

On 9 July 2016, at UFC 200, José Aldo defeated Frankie Edgar in a rematch for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship by unanimous decision.

November 2016: Promotion to Featherweight Champion

On 26 November 2016, José Aldo was promoted to UFC Featherweight Champion after Conor McGregor was stripped of the title.

April 2017: Greatest Featherweight Recognition

In April 2017, Sherdog's pound-for-pound ranking hailed José Aldo as "the greatest featherweight in mixed martial arts history."

June 2017: Title Unification Bout Loss to Max Holloway

On 3 June 2017, at UFC 212, José Aldo faced Max Holloway in a title unification bout and lost by TKO in the third round, earning Fight of the Night bonus award.

December 2017: Loss in Rematch Against Holloway

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

July 2018: TKO Victory Against Jeremy Stephens

On 28 July 2018, at UFC on Fox 30, José Aldo faced Jeremy Stephens and won by TKO after a left hook to the body, earning the Performance of the Night award.

February 2019: TKO Victory Against Renato Moicano

On 2 February 2019, at UFC Fight Night 144, José Aldo faced Renato Moicano and won the fight via TKO in the second round, earning the Performance of the Night award.

June 2019: Signed new UFC contract

In June 2019, José Aldo signed a new, exclusive eight-fight contract with the UFC, marking a change from his previously stated plans to retire by the end of 2019.

October 2019: Move to Bantamweight division

In October 2019, José Aldo announced his move down to the Bantamweight division in the UFC.

May 2020: Pulled out of UFC 250

In May 2020, José Aldo was expected to face Henry Cejudo at UFC 250, but he pulled out in April due to visa issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

July 2020: Lost to Petr Yan at UFC 251

In July 2020, José Aldo faced Petr Yan at UFC 251 for the vacant bantamweight title, losing the bout via technical knockout in round five.

September 2022: Birth of first son

On September 18, 2022, José Aldo and his wife Vivianne Perreira welcomed their first son.

September 2022: Retirement Announcement and Birth of Son

On September 18, 2022, the same day as the birth of his son, it was announced that José Aldo had retired from MMA, though he remains under contract with the UFC and has permission to pursue opportunities in other sports.