Dana White reacts after Jose Aldo retires from the UFC
UFC president Dana White reacted after former longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo retired from the UFC.
The world’s leading MMA organization announced earlier this week that it had come to an agreement with Aldo on retiring from the sport despite him having one last fight on his contract. The news came as a surprise to many, because Aldo was still ranked in the top-five in the UFC bantamweight division. However, following his recent decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278, Aldo likely felt that he was too far away from getting another title shot at 135lbs. Instead of putting together another multi-fight win streak at age 36, he decided to hang up his gloves and spend more time with his family, which recently added a new child into the mix.
Speaking to the media following this week’s Contender Series, White was asked about his favorite Aldo moment. For White, it was when he knocked out Chad Mendes at UFC 142 and then jumped into the crowd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“I think the fight was in Rio when he jumped out of the Octagon and jumped into the crowd, and the crowd was carrying him around, and the place was going nuts. It’s one of my favorite Jose Aldo moments,” White said (via MMAjunkie.com).
According to White, Aldo’s exit from the promotion was a mutual one, and he told the Brazilian that the UFC would also be welcome to open up its doors for the former UFC featherweight champion.
“We love him. This will always be his house. I told him, ‘If you ever need anything here or you ever want to go to an event, this is always your house.’ This is a guy that, from the WEC to the UFC, helped build the sport, this brand and Brazil for us. So we love him, and we always will. He’s made a great life for himself down there, too, and done some great things and made a lot of money, and I couldn’t be happier for him and his family,” White said.
Was your reaction similar to the one Dana White had when you heard the news that Jose Aldo had retired from the UFC?
