After the featured bout of UFC 315 came to a close after 15 minutes of action, MMA fans experienced déjà vu when Jose Aldo left his gloves in the Octagon again. We say, again, because he did it back in 2022. However, in 2022, Aldo lost a hard-fought match to the now-champion of bantamweight, Merab Dvalishvili. This time, however, he lost to the up-and-comer Aiemann Zahabi. Worse even? Aldo missed weight by 8 pounds before the fight. His opponent missed weight as well, so ‘Junior’ ended up retiring at the weight class he once ruled.
Jose Aldo started the fight at a familiar pace as he always does, out-striking Zahabi and keeping his distance. However, in the later rounds, the tides completely shifted. A visibly tired Aldo couldn’t reply to Zahabi’s offence, leading to a controversial unanimous decision victory for the Canadian in a bout many thought Aldo had done enough in to get his hands raised.
While the fight was shrouded in controversy from the top to the bottom, Aldo missing weight was no coincidence, and his retirement at the end of the bout didn’t come as a surprise, despite it being an emotional affair. After the fight, the Brazilian former champ issued a statement expressing how he knew he was done with the sport in a moment of clarity that came to him during the weight-cutting process. The writing was on the wall—there was no need to keep fighting.
Following his announcement, it seems things have become official indeed. Zahabi, after securing the victory, has moved to the 11th rank and Vinicius Oliveira has entered the rankings at 15th. And ‘The King of Rio’ has been removed from the UFC rankings. In a post shared by John Morgan, he revealed the updated UFC bantamweight rankings, where it was evident that Aldo has indeed retired from the sport.
The picture attached to the post said: “Following his gutsy #UFC315 win, @AiemannZahabi moves up four spots in the official bantamweight rankings and now sits at No. 11. Jose Aldo drops off the list, allowing @LokdogVinicius Oliveira to enter at No. 15.”
Following his gutsy #UFC315 win, @AiemannZahabi moves up four spots in the official bantamweight rankings and now sits at No. 11.
Jose Aldo drops off the list, allowing @LokdogVinicius Oliveira to enter at No. 15. pic.twitter.com/SzlolNQvDe
— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) May 13, 2025
Like many legends in the scene, the time has finally come for Aldo to sail into the sunset. After all, he held the featherweight across two different organizations, twice in the UFC, while clocking in 7 defenses in the promotion. His emotional goodbye to the fans and the sport will resonate in our hearts for a long time. So what did ‘The King of Rio’ have to say after his loss to Zahabi? Lets read further to find out.
“Just don’t have it in my heart anymore” – Jose Aldo tearfully bids farewell to MMA
This marks the second time the Brazilian phenom is bidding farewell to the sport. The last time he retired, the fighter left the sport on a good note, satisfied and smiling, venturing off to try his hand in boxing. After a brief boxing stint, where he won twice and drew one, he made his way back to the Octagon, and things couldn’t have started better for him.
Despite retiring in 2022, At UFC 301, 2024, Aldo came back and dominated a rising talent in Jonathan Martinez. Many thought this marked the resurgence of Jose Aldo ‘Junior’. The former featherweight champion showed the same intensity back from his prime days, and many were convinced he had what it takes to reach title contention. But all this ended badly.
Following this big win, Jose Aldo was beaten by the fan-favorite Mario Bautista by split decision at UFC 307. His loss against Zahabi turned his record to a heartbreaking 3 losses and 1 win in his last four fights. Reflecting on his struggles and losses, Aldo, after announcing his retirement at UFC 315, said: “I don’t want to go into war all the time and go through all 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 anymore.”
After the bout, Aldo also revealed that he had been battling multiple health issues leading up to the fight, including a torn arm muscle, abdominal problems, and a viral infection. Despite medical advice to withdraw, Aldo chose to compete, believing it might be his final bout, and well, it was. So what do you think is next for ‘The King of Rio’? Will he venture into boxing again? Or is he finally leaving the fight business for good? Let us know in the comments.
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