There’s never been a featherweight better than Jose Aldo at the peak of his powers.
Even after Conor McGregor slept him in 13 seconds, ‘Scarface’ was still a force to be reckoned with at 145lbs.
Back-to-back stoppage losses to Max Holloway left the 38-year-old at a crossroads in 2018.
Naturally, Jose Aldo showed the world he was still that guy by quickly finishing an infamous KO artist.
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Jose Aldo crumbled UFC bogeyman with body shot
Jeremy Stephens is widely regarded as one of the pound-for-pound biggest punchers in MMA.
‘Lil Heathen’ was riding a three-fight UFC win streak when he was booked to face Aldo in July 2018.
The heavy-hitting American earned the fight by putting fellow KO merchant, Josh Emmett, out cold.
Still, he was utterly outclassed by Aldo when they met at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Canada.
Towards the end of round one, Aldo ripped to the body with a shot that echoed around the arena.
Stephens keeled over in pain before his opponent began battering him with punches on the floor.
Aldo kept hammering away until he left the UFC bogeyman curled up in a ball waiting for the referee to save him from the merciless beating.
Five years later, Stephens got his revenge – kind of – when they rematched in a six-round boxing match.
Aldo couldn’t find the KO shot and they ultimately fought to a controversial majority draw in April 2023.
What’s next for Jose Aldo?
Aldo returned from his brief MMA retirement with a flawless victory against Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in May 2024.
Unfortunately for the Brazilian fan favorite, Mario Bautista held him against the fence for the majority of his following fight, which ended in a contested split decision loss at UFC 307.
Up next, Aldo will face George St-Pierre’s teammate, Aiemann Zahabi, at UFC 315 on May 10 in Montreal.
The card will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, who was pulled from his UFC London clash with Leon Edwards to replace the injured Shavkat Rakhmonov.
In the co-main event, flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will face top contender Manon Fiorot.
So far, 11 fights have been announced for the card, which is just a couple more from being complete.