Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame
The UFC announced today that former WEC and UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing as a member of the Class of 2023. The ceremony will take place during the 11th Annual UFC International Fight Week this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
UFC President Dana White stated, “Jose Aldo is the greatest featherweight of all time. From WEC to UFC, Jose helped us build the sport of MMA and UFC as a brand, as well as change the perception of the smaller weight classes and what they could accomplish inside the Octagon. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
Aldo will join other greats in the Modern Wing such as Forrest Griffin, BJ Penn, Urijah Faber, Ronda Rousey, Michael Bisping, Rashad Evans, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier. The “Modern Era” category includes athletes who turned pro on or after November 17, 2000, are a minimum age of 35, or who have been retired for one year or more.
Throughout his 18-year professional MMA career, Aldo compiled a record of 31-8, securing victories over UFC Hall of Famers Urijah Faber and Cub Swanson, as well as former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, and former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown. He made his professional MMA debut on August 10, 2004, and would go on to win nine of his next 10 fights across various MMA promotions before joining WEC in 2008.
In 2009, Aldo defeated Mike Brown at WEC 44 to become the new WEC featherweight champion. He would go on to win his next nine fights and defend his title each time, becoming the final WEC featherweight champion and the inaugural UFC featherweight champion in 2010 when the WEC was absorbed by Zuffa.
After losing the UFC featherweight championship to Conor McGregor at UFC 194, Aldo bounced back and captured the interim UFC featherweight title by defeating former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 in 2016. Over the next six years, Aldo continued to fight top contenders in the featherweight and bantamweight division, securing wins over up and coming fighters such as Rob Font, Marlon Vera, and Renato Moicano, as well as veteran Jeremy Stephens. He retired in September 2022 after a loss to top-ranked bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278.
Jose Aldo’s impressive career is a testament to his dedication, skill, and impact on the sport of MMA. His induction into the UFC Hall of Fame is a well-deserved honor and further solidifies his place as one of the greatest featherweights of all time
