If you take one look at UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo‘s record, a few things stand out right away.
For instance, he hasn’t lost a fight in over seven years, and since signing on with Zuffa, originally in the WEC before moving to the UFC, he’s run roughshod over the featherweight division.
Aldo is 12-0 combined between the two promotions and is still the only featherweight champion the UFC has ever known. Aldo isn’t just a record setter in the featherweight division—he sets the standard.
That’s not enough for the most dominant 145-pound fighter that’s ever lived, however, because when it’s all said and done and the book is written on his career, he wants to own all of the records.
“In my career, I keep chasing my goals and my No. 1 goal is to break all the UFC records and to be the best,” Aldo told Bleacher Report from Brazil.
Breaking records is a popular notion among some of the best champions in the UFC currently. UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones has talked excessively about owning the outright record for most title defenses in his division (he’s currently tied with Tito Ortiz at five in a row).
Now, Aldo joins the conversation as well, although he’s not saying which records he wants to break—just that he wants them all.
“I’m not focusing on any particular record,” Aldo said. “There’s many records—there’s Anderson’s (Silva) record, that’s a really, really hard record to chase and to break. In my mind, I’ll keep trying to break all the records I can, that’s my goal.”
The record books with Silva’s name attached to them include the most title defenses in UFC history (10) and consecutive wins in the UFC as well (16). Without including his time in the WEC, Aldo already has four title defenses in the Octagon, which also account for his four wins in a row in the UFC.
Aldo has never been an egotistical champion who touts his accomplishments or feels the need to brag about a victory when a fight is over. He just walks into the cage, obliterates the competition and smiles on his way back out again.
Still, despite his humble nature in everything he says and does, Aldo divulged that even he watches the rankings when it comes to discussions like who is the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
“Of course, I keep looking to the pound-for-pound ranking, and when I see those guys I keep chasing to be the best,” Aldo commented. “That’s my main goal. That’s what motivates me.”
As he approaches his next fight at UFC 163 where he will take on “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, Aldo is all about the challenges that lie ahead.
He believes that this fight compounded with the other top contenders all trying to get a shot at him in the featherweight division will keep pushing him towards his ultimate goal.
“Those guys who I fought recently and especially The Korean Zombie, they are well ranked, and yes, those are the guys I need to fight,” Aldo said. “Those are the guys that are going to make me chase and break those records.”
Aldo is routinely praised by UFC president Dana White for being one of the best fighters in the promotion, and he’s been proving it while serving as featherweight champion for the past few years.
Aldo may speak like a lamb, but when he roars like a lion the rest of the featherweight division trembles.
So it’s safe to say that if Aldo puts his mind to it, and his fight skills continue to evolve, he very well could own every UFC record by the time he retires. At just 26-years of age, he’s got plenty of time to do it.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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