BMF champion Max Holloway and others had a lot to say about Jose Aldo’s UFC 315 retirement.
UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo‘s last appearance in the Octagon featured just about everything you could want in a final fight.
Aldo and UFC bantamweight contender Aiemann Zahabi treated fans to a three-round slugfest on Saturday night at UFC 315. Aldo and Zahabi were originally scheduled to fight at bantamweight before Aldo missed the weight limit, forcing the matchmakers to rebook it as a featherweight fight.
Despite the rough weight cut leading up to UFC 315, Aldo looked in pristine condition against the surging Zahabi. He won the first two rounds on most viewers’ scorecards and nearly finished Zahabi in Round 3 with a head kick.
UFC stars and fans react to Jose Aldo’s surprising retirement at UFC 315
But Aldo faded in the final minutes as both he and Zahabi were exhausted in Round 3. After three rounds of high-octane output, the judges scored the fight in Zahabi’s favor by unanimous decision.
It was a controversial result on the UFC 315 main card as Aldo and Zahabi spoiled fans with a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate in Montreal. After the controversial defeat, Aldo put down the gloves and announced his retirement during a post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier.
This is the second time Aldo has retired from MMA, after he decided to hang up the gloves following a loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278. But despite the familiar moment, Aldo’s sendoff saw many of his former foes showering him with praise from near and far.
Here’s what several UFC stars and fans had to say about Aldo’s last hurrah at UFC 315.
“Jose Aldo is a legend. Love to one of the greatest,” BMF titleholder Max Holloway posted.
“Respect to Jose Aldo. The man’s a legend,” – UFC featherweight Brian Ortega
“Absolutely legend!!! You had a great career!!! Enjoy your retirement legend !!” – UFC lightweight Renato Moicano
“[Jose Aldo] always a GOAT” – UFC featherweight Dan Ige
Fight fans also praised the UFC Hall of Famer Aldo on social media.
“What a legend,” one fan wrote on X.
“Thank you Jose Aldo!” another said.
“I really thought Jose Aldo won that fight why is this happening?”
“Judges forcing Jose Aldo into retirement is nasty work.”
“Salute to Jose Aldo. A true legend of the sport.”
Aldo’s announced retirement comes just weeks before Dustin Poirier is scheduled to make what is expected to be his final fight at UFC 318. Poirier and Holloway headline an intriguing card in New Orleans with the BMF belt on the line.
Aldo became the UFC’s inaugural featherweight champion after Zuffa LLC purchased WEC earlier in his career. During a long, successful first featherweight title reign, Aldo amassed an 18-fight winning streak with defenses against the likes of Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, and Mark Hominick.
Jose Aldo, Dustin Poirier retirements signal the end of a UFC era
Aldo’s first UFC championship stint came to an abrupt end at the hands of Conor McGregor at UFC 194. He lost to McGregor in 13 seconds in one of the wildest knockouts in UFC history.
Aldo moved down to bantamweight in 2019, dropping his 135 lb debut in a controversial loss to Marlon Moraes at UFC 245. He went on to challenge for the then-vacant UFC bantamweight belt at UFC 251, falling to Petr Yan by fifth-round TKO.
Aldo entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023 before returning to the Octagon against Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. He retires with a career record of 32-9 with 17 knockouts.