Jose Aldo‘s team-mate and training partner Andy Souwer believes the Brazilian star may retire from MMA after his bout with Conor McGregor at UFC 194, regardless of the outcome.
Appearing on MMAPlusTV (h/t Bloody Elbow’s Anton Tabuena), the Dutchman was asked whether Saturday’s featherweight title fight would be Aldo’s last, to which he replied, “To be honest, yeah I think. Yeah, I think so,” before weighing in on the decision and the fight itself:
Yes. That’s true. So I think he’s done with it. And ready. I will agree. Whatever he is thinking, it’s his decision. But I think it will be good for him.
… Of course (he’s going to win). Jose is (the top) pound-for-pound fighter. He will succeed this time also, and it will be a fairytale story. I’ll put my money on it.
Here’s video of the entire interview:
Aldo has been the face of UFC’s featherweight division for half a decade, compiling a perfect record within the organisation since he was promoted to champion back in 2010. The only loss on his resume came back in 2005, when he tried his hand at the lightweight division, per ESPN.com.
The Brazilian is just 29 years old, but he has been at the top of the sport for years. The UFC released this promo ahead of Saturday’s fight, in which the likes of commentator Joe Rogan didn’t hide their admiration for what he has done:
But Aldo fell out with UFC President Dana White during the lead-up to his fight with McGregor, after White questioned the severity of the rib injury that kept Aldo from fighting the Irishman at UFC 189.
Speaking to Combate (h/t Bloody Elbow’s Lucas Resende), Aldo hit back at White, saying he didn’t know what he was talking about when it came to injuries, and their relationship has barely improved since.
McGregor has quickly risen to become one of the most popular fighters in all of UFC, and most of the attention leading up to UFC 194 has been on him. The 27-year-old even appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote the fight, and unsurprisingly, he didn’t mince his words.
The interim featherweight champion is brash, loud and entertaining, and after years and years of dominance at the top of the division, it seems the UFC and a large group of fans are open to the idea of change. Aldo has easily dispatched just about every challenger he has faced so far, but the hype surrounding this particular fight has been unprecedented.
Aldo may very well decide to retire after Saturday’s fight, but if his battle with McGregor lives up to the expectations, it will open up tons of possibilities for the Brazilian. A potential rematch could be highly lucrative and is expected, while the added attention for the division could lead to bigger purses should he decide to go up against Chad Mendes or Frankie Edgar next.
He has nothing left to prove in UFC or MMA, having dominated the featherweight division for over a decade, but it’s rare to see a fighter walk away from the Octagon while he’s still in his prime, especially with his potential earnings set to rise significantly.
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