Many fighters have distinctive features that set them apart and make them special. Be it Shara Magomedov’s one eye, Alex Pereira’s stone-faced expressions, or Paddy Pimblett’s long and luscious blonde hair—having distinctive features that make you instantly recognizable drastically increases your marketability as a fighter.
But when it comes to Jose Aldo, the former featherweight champ has a bada**, if somewhat tragic, characteristic that sets him apart—a big scar on his left cheek. While it does make the Brazilian legend stand out, the story of how ‘Junior’ got this scar is a pretty tragic and wild one.
What happened to Jose Aldo’s face?
Jose Aldo got the distinctive scar on his face back when he was just a baby and couldn’t even speak. The unfortunate incident took place during a serene barbecue ‘Junior’s family was having. His parents had put the Brazilian MMA legend in a cot, where he was peacefully resting while his family had fired up the barbecue.
Unfortunately, Aldo’s older sisters got into a heated argument. Things got so heated between the two sisters that his eldest sister, Josiline, threw the cot—with Aldo in it—at her younger sister, Rosiline, in a fit of blind rage. Unfortunately, the cot smashed into the barbecue, and baby Aldo’s face touched the hot metal of the barbecue, leaving a scar on his face. A scar that ‘Junior’ would carry throughout his life. Fortunately, Aldo did not suffer any additional injuries in that incident, but apparently, that was not the only time his sister seriously injured him.
“They were playing around and threw me in there. It was hot. I was a little baby. They were little kids. There was another time when my little sister broke my head. I have all kinds of stories,” Aldo recounted in an interview in 2009.
In the years to come, when ‘Junior’ would break out as a strong force in the UFC, he would get associated with another nickname that derived from the scar on his face. While the story behind the scar lies in ‘Junior’s childhood, many have also linked the former UFC champion’s moniker with Al Pacino’s crime thriller movie, Scarface. But how far can the link survive?
Connection between Jose Aldo’s scar and his nickname
Jose Aldo is called ‘Junior’ because he shares his name with his father, also named Jose Aldo. Hence, ‘Junior’ acts as a generational suffix to differentiate ‘King of Rio’ from his father. But there is another nickname that was given to Aldo because of his scar– ‘Scarface’, which, of course, was also the name of the cult classic Al Pacino starrer 1983 crime saga. While having a big scar on your face would make you a target of jests and bullying by other kids, that scar did not affect the Brazilian former champ’s confidence, who went on to achieve legendary status in the mixed martial arts space.
After all the dust settled, ‘Scarface’ turned out to be one of the most well-known, respected, and beloved MMA fighters ever. The Brazilian has been fighting since he was seventeen, and still going strong. He’s still fighting at a high level as he approaches forty, in a sport, mind you, that is famous for being unforgiving and punishing on your body. That, by itself, even though he is considered one of the greatest featherweights of all time, tells you everything you need to know about the type of person and fighter Jose Aldo is. What do you think about the story behind how Jose Aldo got his scar?
The post Why does Jose Aldo have a Scar on His Face? Heartbreaking Childhood Story appeared first on EssentiallySports.