One of the finest fighters to ever come out of Brazil, Jose Aldo was the first person to hold the UFC featherweight title. The King of Rio declared his retirement from the sport last Sunday, the same day that his son Jose Aldo III was born. Even though it’s challenging to condense a legendary career into only five memorable fights, we gave it our best attempt.
April 30, 2011 – W5 Mark Hominick
On April 30, 2011, in Toronto, Ontario, during the UFC 129 Featherweight Championship match, Jose Aldo strikes Mark Hominick. (Image credit: Al Bello/Zuffa LLC)
On April 30, 2011, in Toronto, Ontario, during the UFC 129 Featherweight Championship match, Jose Aldo strikes Mark Hominick. (Image credit: Al Bello/Zuffa LLC)
Early on in the co-main event of UFC 129 on Saturday night at Rogers Centre, it appeared as though UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo would dominate as usual. However, Ontario’s Mark Hominick refused to back down, battling through a number of facial cuts, bruises, and bumps to finish strong and leave his own valiant effort as the lasting memory of the 145-pound title fight, which Aldo ultimately won clearly and unanimously. Watch Aldo’s post-fight interview here.
Aldo won with scores of 48-45, 48-46, and 49-46 to move to 19-1; Hominick, who will soon become a father for the first time with his wife, dropped to 20-9. At the post-fight news conference, Dana White referred to the contest as the fight of the evening. Watch Hominick’s post-fight interview.
Aldo said of Mark Hominick, “I got to take my hat off to him, he’s a terrific fighter. He simply went five rounds and gave it everything.
After quickly exchanging gloves, Hominick launched an attack on Aldo at the bell, but the champion’s initial assault forced him to stand back up and resume. Aldo persisted in pressuring, scoring with punches and kicks, but Hominick handled them gracefully, even deflecting a kick that would have otherwise put Aldo off balance. With 3:15 remaining, Aldo changed things up by taking his opponent down. He nearly ended up in a submission, but he immediately pulled free and bullied the opponent into the fence.
Hominick fought to escape, but Aldo wasn’t having it as he continued to maintain positional control while delivering powerful blows from the top. The assault soon left marks on Hominick’s face, but a restart by referee John McCarthy in the waning seconds helped him. Aldo finished the round by returning the fight to the mat, closing off a strong opening frame.
The second began with one of Aldo’s fierce leg kicks, but Hominick handled it well and immediately tried to land punches to the body. Two Aldo takedown attempts were rejected, and when Hominick started to strike the champion, his confidence seemed to be escalating with each passing second.
Two minutes in, Aldo responded with a takedown that instantly quieted the audience. If anything, they became quieter after a few thudding strikes. After McCarthy restarted the fight with a minute left, they went back into it, but Aldo once more executed a precise 1-2 to set up a late-round takedown.
February 2, 2013 – W5 Frankie Edgar
In the early moments of round three, the two featherweights fought on an even footing. However, as the round went on, Aldo’s punches appeared to be the more powerful ones. However, Hominick was far from finished, and when he boldly sent a jab in Aldo’s direction, his takedown defence began to help his hitting. But with about 90 seconds left, Hominick was startled by a right hand, forcing him to go for the takedown. The Brazilian attempted to score with a shot, but Thamesford immediately countered. Sadly, he found himself in the bottom once more, giving Aldo the upper hand in position right up to the end of the round.
Round four began with some good two-way exchanges before Aldo once more scored with his right hand, sending Hominick to the ground. Following a ground attack, a severe knot appeared on his forehead, prompting referee John McCarthy to stop the fight and have the Octagonside doctor examine the wound. After being given the all-clear to resume, Hominick was knocked out just before the bell, giving the winner another round.
Between rounds, the doctor made a second appearance and extensively examined Hominick before releasing him to return for round five. The challenger still had some bounce in his step, but Aldo was able to tag him more and more as he became more aggressive. Another right hand jarred Hominick, but this time he managed to execute a takedown, giving him the advantageous top position. The crowd roared as he started to cause damage with his attacks.
Hominick was racking up the points, hitting Aldo to the head and body, and showing the champion that he still had plenty of fight left in him as Aldo quietly retained his composure. By the time the bout was through, Aldo had prevailed, kept his UFC title, but Mark Hominick continued to hold the title in Ontario.
Two more successful defences against Kenny Florian and Chad Mendes followed the victory over Hominick. In other words, it was business as usual for Aldo, but when he faced up against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in February 2013, the tenacious New Jerseyan pushed the Brazilian to the edge. Aldo erased any scepticism about his capacity to prevail in a back-and-forth dogfight with his tight but unanimous choice, not that he needed to prove himself at this time.
October 25, 2014 – W5 Chad Mendes
On October 25, 2014, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the UFC 179 event at Maracanazinho, Jose Aldo of Brazil strikes Chad Mendes during their featherweight championship match. On October 25, 2014, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the UFC 179 event at Maracanazinho, Jose Aldo of Brazil strikes Chad Mendes during their featherweight championship match when Aldo and Chad Mendes first faced off in 2012, the champion ran into the Rio de Janeiro crowd to celebrate with his supporters.
The fight finished in a knockout in 4:59. The top two 145-pound boxers in the world squared off for most of the 25-minute contest in the rematch, which was a completely different tale. Aldo earned a well-deserved unanimous decision victory in what was arguably the greatest featherweight title fight in history, but he had to fight hard for it, demonstrating once more that he was the finest featherweight in the league whether dominant or forced to display his championship heart.
July 28, 2018 – TKO1 Jeremy Stephens
On July 28, 2018, in the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, at the UFC Fight Night event, Jose Aldo of Brazil celebrates his TKO victory over Jeremy Stephens in the featherweight match.
On July 28, 2018, in the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, at the UFC Fight Night event, Jose Aldo of Brazil celebrates his TKO victory over Jeremy Stephens in the featherweight match.
After Aldo’s second victory over Mendes, everyone is aware of what transpired. Conor McGregor and Aldo finally met in Las Vegas in December 2015 after a protracted wait, and when they did, “The Notorious” one stunned the world with a 13-second knockout of Aldo.
Seven months later, Aldo would bounce back and reclaim his title against Frankie Edgar, but two defeats to Max Holloway led some to question whether Aldo had outlived his usefulness in the Octagon. But in July 2018, he turned the tide with an emotional first-round knockout of Jeremy Stephens, sending him into a euphoric trance. Aldo returned.
December 4, 2021 – W5 Rob Font
On December 4, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jose Aldo of Brazil reacts after defeating Rob Font in their bantamweight match at UFC Fight Night @ UFC APEX. (Zuffa LLC/Jeff Bottari/Photo)
On December 4, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jose Aldo of Brazil reacts after defeating Rob Font in their bantamweight match at UFC Fight Night @ UFC APEX. (Zuffa LLC/Jeff Bottari/Photo)