Jose Aldo has a strong estimation for when he will call an end to his legendary fighting career.
Jose Aldo is only 33 years but has been a professional MMA career for over 15 years. That’s a decade and a half of leg kicks, world championships, and arguable featherweight GOATdom. But that’s also a decade and a half of wear and tear. After losing twice to reigning featherweight champion Max Holloway and to Alexander Volkanovski in his most recent bout, Aldo decided to make a change and move down to bantamweight. Regardless of the result of his next bout against Marlon Moraes at UFC 245 or how his win/loss record will look in 2020, Aldo seems to have his mind made up on when he will retire from the sport (Transcript via Bloody Elbow):
“I will fight until I’m 40 years old,” Aldo told Ag Fight. “I’m 33, so I have seven years of fighting left. I still dream of boxing, it’s going to happen pretty soon. You can be sure of that. But I’ll be fighting for even longer, this is my first fight at bantamweight on my way to become the champion. I might even go beyond 40. Outside of my career, I’ve never been one to go out, drink, party. I have a healthy body, that’s the point.”
Some may say to Jose Aldo that he has already had a full career and that 15 years is enough. Aldo himself considered retiring, but some career adjustments and pivotal heart-to-hearts convinced Aldo to continue fighting.
“What made me keep going is that, over the years, I didn’t want to do it anymore, but I talked to ‘Dede’ and he asked me to fight at bantamweight. I had this notion that it would be hard to make weight, diet, but it was the other way around. I feel strong, training is going well. Not even in the WEC I had this potential. That makes me believe I still have a lot to give and you can be sure I’ll fight for many years to come. If I feel well, fast, quick as ever, there’s no reason to stop now. I want to conquer bantamweight, make history, and then think of what to do next.”
What do you think of Jose Aldo’s plan to continue fighting until the age of 40 and possibly beyond?
