Jose Aldo was a force of nature.
When he burst onto the scene in the WEC, faster than a bolt of lightning, more explosive than a barrel of gas next to an open flame, you felt his presence. Watching him, you knew, instantly, this guy was different.
Inside the cage, he was electric — personality and charisma pouring out of his performances — which made how shy and quiet he was outside of the cage stand out as an incredible contrast. He expressed himself with actions, not words, and after he elevated and knocked out Cub Swanson in eight seconds at WEC 41, you knew he was going to be special.
He won the title in his next fight, storming through Mike Brown in a manner that signaled that a generational shift was beginning, and that Aldo was at the vanguard. Tough, durable standouts like Brown that could do a little bit of everything were instantly no match for the dynamic stylings of the young Brazilian, who followed up his title win by marching into Urijah Faber’s hometown of Sacramento and surgically removing his lead leg to successfully defend his title for the first time.
Aldo was never one to say much, but his choice of walkout track that evening spoke volumes. “Run This Town” by Jay-Z featuring Kanye West and Rihanna, which became his signature track, was a precursor to what was about to transpire in the beloved blue WEC cage: this may be your city, but I’m in charge here.
And he was.
After another successful title defense in the WEC, Aldo graduated to the UFC roster and was installed as its first featherweight champion, with Dominick Cruz earning the same distinction in the bantamweight ranks. His debut was delayed until UFC 129, which ultimately felt fitting, as he successfully defended his title against Mark Hominick in the co-main event, setting the table for Georges St-Pierre.
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Competing ahead of St-Pierre and dominating the way he did made it clear to anyone that didn’t already understand that Aldo was on that level, that he was one of the absolute best fighters on the planet, and while the bout with Hominick is often remembered for the challenger’s attempted fifth-round rally and the grapefruit-sized hematoma that developed on his forehead, we only reached the point where a heroic push to try and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat because the Brazilian champion battered the London, Ontario-based veteran for the first four rounds.
Two fights later, Aldo stopped Chad Mendes in the final seconds of the opening round of their championship clash at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro and promptly raced out of the Octagon and into the crowd to celebrate with the elated fans.
It felt dangerous in the moment, watching a world-class talent exit the controlled confines of the UFC before the championship belt was presented to him again, but then you saw the joy on his face, the way he was swarmed by fans sharing in that joyous moment, and it all made sense. “The King of Rio” needed to celebrate with his people and celebrate they did, for three more years and four more successful title defenses, including a dominant win over Frankie Edgar, and an all-time classic rematch with Mendes back in Rio.
He was undisputed, undeniable, and unstoppable until an Irish rival emerged and turned his whole world upside down.
Conor McGregor had a different kind of magnetism, a different kind of swagger. He had a presence about him, and he backed everything up by being lights out inside the Octagon, as well.
He was always going to be a star, but his rivalry and eventual showdown with Aldo was one of the accelerants to his fiery rise, and ultimately became the first of two moments that will forever stand as reminders of how incredibly gifted “The Notorious” one was at the peak of his powers.
McGregor’s dogged pursuit of Aldo, literally and figuratively, was fascinating because of the manic energy the challenger carried into every interaction, but it all would have felt overblown and forced if he were facing anyone else. He knew what it would mean to beat Aldo, who hadn’t lost since November 2005, and made it his mission to do everything he could to win the battle before they even set foot inside the Octagon.
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He got under his skin every chance he could, at every stop on the world tour promoting their scheduled clash at UFC 189, and then tossed more fuel on the fire by rolling with the punches when Aldo was forced out of the International Fight Week showdown at the 11th hour. After months of playing the charismatic villain to Aldo’s quiet hero, McGregor didn’t flinch when Aldo had to withdraw; instead, he waltzed into the cage and dispatched Mendes in the second round to claim the interim featherweight title, adding more weight to his inevitable meeting with the Brazilian champion.
I was seated on media row for UFC 194, and as the walkouts for the main event wrapped and the introductions where about to start, I looked around the MGM Grand Garden Arena, listening to more than 16,000 people buzzing with anticipation, and consciously decided to close my laptop.
This was a moment we had all collectively been waiting for since the start of the year, and I wanted to just sit there, focused on the action in front of me, primed to take it all in without distractions.
Bruce Buffer did his thing, the fighters met in the center of the cage for their final instructions before backing to their corners, and the volume in the arena went up a notch of two.
Just 13 seconds later, the roof came off the building as a collection of eyes on media row instantly shifted from computer screens to the Octagon, where McGregor sat atop the fence, the new undisputed featherweight champion waiting to be presented with his belt.
Seven months after his loss to McGregor, with the new champion in pursuit of the lightweight title and off on a side quest battling Nathan Diaz, Aldo returned to the Octagon at UFC 200 and dominated Frankie Edgar for a second time.
Any questions about whether the dethroned former titleholder was still going to be a factor in the weight class he ruled for a number of years were answered emphatically, as he rolled through the Toms River, New Jersey man in much the same way he had in their initial encounter more than three years earlier.
It may have been the most important victory of Aldo’s career, and was certainly the one, for me, that really cemented his legacy as an all-time great. He was on the short list before UFC 200, but when you bounce back from an embarrassing, emotional loss without missing a beat, by taking out a future Hall of Fame inductee like nothing happened, it forces you to really make sure to look at that setback through proper lenses.
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Just about everyone loses at one point or another, and Aldo would go on to lose each of his next two appearances and half of his dozen fights following the bout with McGregor, but very few pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get right back to being brilliant the way Aldo did.
You saw this again following his shift to the bantamweight division, which began with a narrow defeat to Marlon Moraes and a fifth-round stoppage loss to Petr Yan in a battle for the vacant title at UFC 251. Just when it looked like the Brazilian legend was reaching the end of his run as a contender and standout competitor, Aldo turns around and rattles off three straight wins over Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font, beating each by unanimous decision to once again climb into title consideration.
Another championship opportunity didn’t materialize, but it honestly doesn’t matter: Aldo didn’t need to challenge for the title again in order to prove his greatness.
That was proven when he went 15-0 with victories in 10 consecutive championship fights between his time in the WEC and the start of his UFC career.
That was proven when he was the long-reigning king of the featherweight division that brought the absolute best, most focused version of Conor McGregor to the fore.
That was proven when he picked himself right back up after this first loss in more than a decade and styled on a stellar fighter on a massive fight card when everyone was wondering how he would respond.
