Jose Aldo asks to be released from UFC, wants to retire from MMA
Jose Aldo asks to be released from UFC, wants to retire from MMA
Current UFC interim featherweight champion and former longtime champion of the same division, Jose Aldo, has had enough.
Speaking with Brazilian website Combate, Aldo is asking to be released from his current UFC contract so that he can retire.
“I heard about everything that happened through my coach,” Aldo said. “He had spoken with [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby Saturday and Sean still had no answer about anything, and asked if I could fight on November 12. My coach said that if it would be Conor, yes, and then Sean asked him if I would fight Max Holloway or Anthony Pettis. ‘Dede’ [Pederneiras] said that for those who I’d rather do a full camp and it could be on December 10. We waited until Dana publicly said that he wanted this fight with McGregor to happen. And then we expected it to happen: I’d get my rematch to unify the featherweight belts, or I’d have my belt back and fight Holloway or Pettis, since Dana [White] said all the time that Conor couldn’t keep both belts. But, to my surprise, I heard last night about the fight between McGregor and Eddie Alvarez, which was also denied by Dana last week. And to make it worse, he would keep the featherweight belt, and possibly having two belts at the same time.”
Aldo was defeated by McGregor in the main event at UFC 194 in December. Since then Aldo has been seeking redemption. McGregor has since fought twice out of the featherweight division, and the UFC 205 title fight against Alvarez will mark a third.
Aldo defeated Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 for the interim title and what he thought would be a guaranteed rematch with McGregor.
“Conor himself said before that he wouldn’t give his belt away by any chance and nobody would take it away from him,” Aldo said. “After all this, I see I can’t trust any word from president Dana White, and who’s in charge of the promotion now is Conor McGregor. Since I’m not here to be an employee of McGregor, today I ask to cancel my contract with the UFC. When they offered me a fight with Frankie Edgar, Dana said that the winner would challenge McGregor or win the linear title, that he would lose his belt if he didn’t return to the featherweight division after his rematch with Nate Diaz. After being fooled so many times, I don’t feel motivated to fight in the UFC anymore.”
“I don’t believe in Dana saying that Conor would have to vacate one of the belts after UFC 205 because, based on what we’re seeing, this type of decision is not in his hands anymore, Conor makes the calls now,” Aldo said. “And the biggest proof that who’s in charge in the UFC now is Conor is that when I wanted to move up to fight Pettis, they said I’d have to vacate my belt and try this fight with no title whatsoever. But with him, they let him move up to the division above without losing his belt, and also let him do any fight he wants. I understand that he sells a lot, but it gets to a limit when it’s no longer a sport, it becomes a circus. I don’t want any type of fight with the UFC. The only thing I want is to go on with my life, and they will go on with theirs.”
UPDATE FROM MMAFIGHTING: After the UFC 205 press conference in New York, Dana White spoke with Combate TV and said he will call Aldo and offer a solution. After that quick interview, Aldo called the TV channel and doubled down, saying that he wants to retire from the sport.
“Not even fight MMA, too. It has reached a limit now,” Aldo told Revista Combate. “I talked to ‘Dede’ a long time ago and he convinced me to continue. I went to the Frankie Edgar fight and won. I fought to win for ‘Dede’. I’m not angry or upset now, nothing. I never fought for money, I had a good career and legacy as featherweight champion.
“If [White] likes me and my family, I just hope he released me. I don’t want a fight. I want to leave as I came in. The UFC and WEC didn’t give me anything. Everything I conquered was my merit and from my team. Nobody gave me anything. I conquered everything. And I gave them a lot more than they gave me back. I just want them to release me from my contract. I’m not a whore to sell myself [for money].
“I don’t even want to fight MMA. I want to follow a career in another sport. That’s what I want.”
