Jose Aldo
Brazil

  • Full name José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior
  • Nickname Junior
  • Birth date September 9, 1986
  • Birth place Manaus
  • Current age 37 years 192 days
  • Height 5 ft 7 in
  • Weight 145 lb
Jose Aldo covers up
Profile

There are fighters who are capable of producing moments of class, and then there are class fighters. Jose Aldo most definitely falls into the latter category.

When an opponent steps into an Octagon against "Junior", he is guaranteed a series of facts. First, it's highly unlikely he'll be able to walk unaided the following day, second, he'll have taken a catalogue of punishment without delivering much in return and, third, he'll almost certainly have lost.

Aldo has Muay Thai running through his veins. His leg kicks are arguably the most devastating in the UFC, his boxing is capable of unsettling the very best MMA has to offer, and on the rare occasion he gets put on the mat... well, he just so happens to be a jiu-jitsu black belt.

It's a lethal cocktail.

Only once has Aldo ever lost, choked out by Luciano Azevedo, and that was back in 2005. Since then the Brazilian has ruled the WEC featherweight terrain, and then taken that form onto the grandest stage of them all: The UFC.

Multiple Knockout of the Night awards and Fight of the Night honours testify to the sheer brilliance Aldo brings to the cage, brilliance to which the likes of Mike Brown, Urijah Faber and Kenny Florian can all testify.

All were beaten in different ways too. Faber had his legs chopped from underneath him to the point where he had to be carried back to his stool. Brown was finished by Aldo's hands, while Florian - for so long one of the world's top lightweights - was outclassed in a five-round decision.

Aldo could have been a professional football player, which now translates to his kicking game, but the truth is he is a born fighter. The instinct, the speed, the thirst for a war, the twisted love of pain is all encapsulated in Aldo, the undisputed UFC featherweight champion.

Career high
It has to be the victory over Urijah Faber. The two poster boys of the WEC locked in one cage, but by the end of it, it wasn't even a fair fight. Faber's legs were destroyed, as was his confidence, in a 25-minute session of punishment that sent the California Kid scampering for the bantamweight division.

Career low
Very difficult to find a career low, other than his one loss, but his UFC debut against Mark Hominick ended poorly after starting superbly. Illness, a tough weight cut and excessive muscle mass were all blamed for Aldo's fading presence, which saw him hanging on during a tough final round where he could have lost his belt. The Brazilian says he was never in trouble, but it was far from impressive either way.

Quote
"I'm a Flamengo fan and like excitement. That's why I liked the fight [with Hominick] - that excitement in the end."

Trivia
Jose Aldo has a scar on his face from when he was a baby, when his sisters rolled him onto a barbeque being used for a 1986 football World Cup party.

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Mar 13, 2012

Jose Aldo attends the partnership between the Institute and the UFC judoka Flavio Canto to the Sports Center

Jan 14, 2012

Jose Aldo punches Chad Mendes

Jan 14, 2012

Jose Aldo celebrates in the crowd

Jan 14, 2012

Jose Aldo stuffs a takedown from Chad Mendes

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