How long did Jose Aldo hold the belt? All about the Brazilian's title reign in the UFC
Jose Aldo is widely considered one of the top three featherweight MMA fighters of all time.
Before joining the UFC, Aldo made a name for himself with World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). During his eight-fight tenure, the Brazilian established an undefeated record with seven finishes, including three wins for the featherweight title and an unforgettable eight-second knockout against Cub Swanson.
Following the UFC-WEC merger, Aldo continued building a legendary resume by securing wins against Frankie Edgar x2, 'The Korean Zombie' Chan Sung Jung, and Chad Mendes x2. The 37-year-old tested himself in a three-fight professional boxing stint before scheduling his octagon return for next month.
Watch Aldo knock out Swanson at WEC 41 below:
How long did Jose Aldo hold the belt?
Jose Aldo remained the featherweight champion when the UFC bought out the UFC. In April 2011, Aldo defended his throne for the first time by securing a unanimous decision win against Mark Hominick in the UFC 129 co-main event, which was awarded Fight of the Night.
Aldo started his UFC tenure with a 7-0 record, defending his featherweight title in each fight. Adding on his eight WEC wins, the Brazilian's streak is arguably one of the greatest runs in professional MMA history.
In December 2015, Aldo's featherweight title reign ended after three-and-a-half years, not counting his WEC fights. Nobody could have predicted how he would be dethroned, as Conor McGregor shockingly knocked him out in 13 seconds in the historic UFC 194 main event.
Watch McGregor knock out Aldo below:
Jose Aldo making highly-anticipated octagon return at UFC 301
Jose Aldo parted ways with the UFC following a unanimous decision loss against Merab Dvalishvili in August 2022. The former UFC featherweight champion lived out his dream of competing in professional boxing, establishing a 2-0-1 record before signing a contract to make a return to the octagon.
On May 4, Aldo will end his near-two-year layoff from MMA during the UFC 301 co-main event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Looking to spoil the Hall of Famer's return is No. 13-ranked bantamweight Jonathan Martinez, who is riding a six-fight win streak.