Jose Aldo called time on his legendary career after suffering a shock loss at UFC 315.
The former two-time featherweight champion was supposed to square off against Georges St-Pierre’s teammate, Aiemann Zahabi, in a bantamweight bout on Saturday night.
However, a weight-cutting issue saw Jose Aldo’s UFC 315 fight moved up to 145lbs at the last minute.
‘Scarface’ subsequently committed his future to the featherweight division as he announced a major career adjustment after failing to make his contracted weight – but he made another major announcement post-fight.
Jose Aldo drops decision to Aiemann Zahabi
Aldo looked at his blistering best at the start of round one. The UFC Hall of Famer landed early and often on his opponent, who appeared a little bit starstruck for a few minutes.
Towards the end of the first frame, Zahabi began pressing the action and trading up in the pocket with the man many people consider the greatest featherweight fighter of all time.
Georges St-Pierre’s teammate carried his momentum into round two. Zahabi was much more competitive during a nip-and-tuck five minutes of kickboxing action at the Bell Centre in Quebec, Canada.
Aldo had his opponent badly wobbled in the third frame. The Brazilian KO artist sprinted for the finish, but he gassed out after failing to close the show.
Zahabi quickly bounced back and took advantage of the visibly shattered MMA legend, who uncharacteristically shot for a takedown that left him in a vulnerable position on the floor.
Aldo survived to hear the final bell, but he was on the wrong end of the unanimous 29-28 scorecards.
Jose Aldo retires from MMA
After the result was announced, Aldo took off his gloves to signify his retirement from the sport.
“I don’t think I have it in me anymore,” he told Daniel Cormier via a translator.
“This was a tough week. It wasn’t just about the cutting of the weight and everything else.
“I just felt that there were just so many things that happened. It was very tough to go through all this.
“There was one point, this was a very tough week, where I felt that I didn’t have it in me. I didn’t wanna cut it anymore, my body said no. I just don’t think I have it anymore. I don’t wanna go into war all the time and go through this. I just don’t have it in my heart anymore.
“I think this is the last time you’re going to see me, I can’t do this no more.”