Jose
Aldo is retiring from mixed martial arts following a decorated
career in the sport.
Advertisement
Sherdog.com confirmed the news with sources close to the fighter
following an initial report from
Combate.com. The UFC has agreed to grant Aldo his release even
though the former featherweight champion still had one fight
remaining on his contract, which will allow him to puruse other
combat sports endeavors if he so chooses.
Aldo was reportedly offered a fight at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro on
Jan. 21, but he hadn’t made a decision about his career at that
time.
The Nova Uniao standout exits the sport at 36 years old with a 31-8
mark following an 18-year career. He captured 145-pound gold in
World Extreme Cagefighting and the UFC and was a top contender
during his recent transition to bantamweight, falling short in a
title bid against Petr Yan at
UFC 251.
It’s likely that Aldo continues to test his skills in other combat
sports going forward. There are possibilities for him to venture
into boxing, like fellow UFC veterans Anderson
Silva and Vitor
Belfort, or he could compete in muay thai and jiu-jitsu.