“I Was Fighting Myself” – Jose Aldo Makes Tough Confession on Reason Behind UFC Retirement After Controversial Loss

“A dancer dies twice—once when they stop dancing, and this first death is more painful” is what celebrated American dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham, had said. It’s true for all art forms, it seems, because right now, Jose Aldo seems to be going through a similar emotion. The former UFC featherweight champ, with 32-10-0 in his resume, and who is known as ‘The King of Rio’, has finally decided to put down his UFC gloves after the last loss against Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315.

The last two losses were declared a “robbery” by many, including Joe Rogan, Conor McGregor, and Renato Moicano (Aldo’s past opponent, whom he defeated). However, Aldo is done with the sport, and he said so through an Instagram post. The 38-year-old shared some photos of his career and said, “The cage has always been my place. The Struggle, My Life. Today, I end this cycle with my soul in peace. I’m not going back because I have already fulfilled my purpose—with blood, sweat, discipline, and honor.” He also spoke about the true reason he was leaving the competitive world of fighting and spoke to Ariel Helwani about the same.

Jose Aldo’s translator said, “The reason the decision was made, I think, I wanted to give it all to just deliver to the fans and everyone, and it’s just that every time I got out, I needed to train, right? So I was getting to camp and  I was fighting with myself all the time. There would be moments I’d be crying, and just like my son, my daughter, taking them to school, and I just felt how much I was missing from their lives. I mean we’ve gotta say I made some good money to set up a good future for everybody, and now it’s more to be present in their lives and their career and not to eliminate that.”

Jose Aldo on if the weight cut was a factor in him deciding to retire.#HelwanShow pic.twitter.com/26Fzf09HDM

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 20, 2025

Maybe he does not want to miss out on his children’s lives anymore and has to give up MMA to do so.

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