Off the back of his upset win over former featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo at UFC 315 over the weekend, Aiemann Zahabi has heaped praise on the Brazilian stalwart, with the former appearing to once more confirm his retirement from mixed martial arts.
Jose Aldo, a former undisputed featherweight champion in the promotion, made his return to action over the weekend in Quebec, Canada — dropping a contentious unanimous decision loss to home town favorite, Zahabi — in just his fourth loss in the weight class during his storied Octagon tenure.
And following the defeat, the Manaus veteran placed his gloves on the Octagon canvas, appearing to confirm his intentions to retire from mixed martial arts once again — this time in definitive fashion.
Aiemann Zahabi heaps praise on Jose Aldo amid retirement
Off the back of the decision, the Brazilian was lauded by victor, Zahabi — who spoke of the inaugural featherweight kingpin as an idol of his during his career in combat sports.
“It was an honor to share the Octagon with a legend like Jose Aldo,” Aiemann Zahabi told assembled media following his UFC 315 triumph. “I grew up watching him, and he’s one of the greatest champions our sport has ever seen. To fight him in front of my home crowd in Montreal, that’s something I’ll never forget.”
“I heard him say in the cage that he just doesn’t have it in his heart anymore,” Zahabi continued. “That’s a hard thing for any fighter to admit, especially someone who’s accomplished as much as he has. I have nothing but respect for him and his career.”
On his official X account to boot, Jose Aldo also addressed his retirement from combat sports, appearing to hint that his decision to walk away from the Octagon this time around was one he would be wholly honoring.
“This may have been my last time inside the Octagon. This week, I faced one of the biggest battles of my life, and it wasn’t against an opponent, but within myself. Over the past few years, I rekindled the dream of becoming a champion once again. I trained as I always did, gave…
“more than I ever had. But while cutting weight, something inside me said: “You don’t need to do this anymore.” And I listened. It’s time to move forward. To live for my wife, for my kids. To celebrate the story I wrote with every war, every belt earned through blood and faith.
