Who defeated Jose Aldo? Exploring the Brazilian's losses to Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, and other UFC fighters
Jose Aldo is a legend of Brazilian MMA and one of the sport's greatest fighters.
Even five years after leaving the UFC featherweight division, none of its subsequent champions have matched his title defense run. He is now set to return from retirement by taking on Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301.
However, despite all of the all-time great success Aldo has enjoyed, he is not unbeatable, nor has he ever been. He, like 99 percent of MMA fighters, has lost his fair share of fights.
Some were close, while others were more lopsided.
Who defeated Jose Aldo?
Before signing with the UFC, José Aldo had only ever lost one bout: a second-round submission loss to Luciano Azevedo back in 2005 on the Brazilian regional scene. Thereafter, 'Junior' embarked on an incredible 18-fight win streak.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and Aldo's end came in the form of Conor McGregor at UFC 194. The two men bounced back and forth inside the octagon, but the Irishman was lighter on his feet and looser in his movement, benefitting from his bladed stance.
When Aldo exploded forward with a shifting combination, McGregor did what he does best and hopped just out of range, sniping Aldo mid-lunge with a counter-straight left that knocked him out cold. It took him the Irishman just 13 seconds to enthrone himself as the new UFC featherweight champion.
It was Aldo's first loss in the promotion, and two fights later he would lose again. This time he lost to a rising Max Holloway, whose boxing proved too slick, especially against an Aldo who seemed to wait too long on the counter and was unwilling to throw low kicks against the sharpest jabber in the division.
By round three, Aldo was exhausted and TKO'd. An immediate rematch went much the same way, with Holloway winning again. This habit of waiting on counters became a recurring theme for Aldo, as did his abandonment of his lauded low-kicking game.
While he bounced against Jeremy Stephens and Renato Moicano, he subsequently faced Alexander Volkanovski, whose volume and endless feints overwhelmed Aldo's decision-making process. Frozen, he lost a unanimous decision and moved to bantamweight.
Alas, he faced more misfortune, first losing a competitive war against Marlon Moraes and then a vacant title fight to Petr Yan, who TKO'd him.
Never one to be counted out, Aldo rebounded with a three-fight win streak, but he was again overwhelmed by activity and pace against Merab Dvalishvili, who won via unanimous decision to mark Aldo's seventh loss in the octagon.