MMA icon Jose Aldo tearfully declared his second retirement from the sport after a contentious defeat at UFC 315.
The Hall of Fame inductee faced Aiemann Zahabi in a hastily arranged featherweight bout in Montreal early Sunday morning.
The former long-reigning 145lbs champion showcased flashes of his vintage form during the contest, landing many of the combinations he was known for earlier in his career.
The 38-year-old appeared poised for victory after flooring Zahabi with a powerful head kick in the third round, followed by a running kick to the face.
However, after a failed takedown attempt, he ended up on his back absorbing heavy punches and elbows for the rest of the round, resulting in a cut on his forehead.
Controversially, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Zahabi.
This decision led an emotional Aldo to announce his retirement once again.
He explained: “I don`t think I have it in me anymore. It wasn`t just about the cutting of the weight and everything else.
“I just felt there were so many things that happened. It was very tough to go through all of this.
“There was one point this week — this was a very tough week — that I felt that I didn`t have it in me, I didn`t want to cut it anymore.
“My body said no, and I just don`t think I have it anymore. I don`t want to 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 just can`t do this anymore.”
The Brazilian icon is widely regarded as the greatest featherweight fighter in UFC history.
He dominated the WEC promotion before its merger with the UFC, becoming the first UFC featherweight champion.
Aldo built an incredible 18-fight winning streak over a decade, from 2005 to 2015.
His historic reign was famously ended by his former rival, two-division champion Conor McGregor, who defeated him in a massive unification fight at UFC 194 with a 13-second knockout.
He later reclaimed the interim belt in 2016 before losing to Max Holloway in June 2017.
Dropping to bantamweight, his attempt to become a two-weight champion failed in July 2020, resulting in a fifth-round TKO loss to Petr Yan.
The popular fighter concluded his storied career with four victories in his final seven bouts.
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