Jackpot City speaks exclusively to Jose Aldo, 'the greatest UFC featherweight of all time'

Promoting the incredibly popular online slot game UFC Gold Blitz, Jackpot City speaks exclusively to former UFC fighter Josè Aldo about retirement and the rumoured McGregor comeback fight.

It’s been almost a year since your retirement. How difficult was that transition to finding a life and a purpose outside the octagon?

During training for my final fight, I had it very much on my mind about retiring. So when I did that last fight, for me, that was it. I don’t think it’s about the fight itself, it’s about the training I have to go through until fight day. And for me, that was taking a toll.

But also, there came a point where when I’d go to the gym to train, I’d sometimes leave my son at home on his own, and he’d say, “Stop, Dad.” That really got to me.

It’s basically been a year now, and I haven’t stepped into the gym at all. I don’t have any training gear anymore, nothing.

At first, when I stopped, I took some time to relax mentally. I’d go to the beach, play some footvolley, I was working out, but I’ve stopped that as well for now.

Lately I’ve been playing quite a lot of tennis. It’s my favourite sport these days, and I’ve been at it for about two months.

But the main thing I tell everyone, what I enjoy most these days, is being a dad, taking my daughter to school, picking her up. Just enjoying that father and family side a bit more. That’s my main priority now.

Since you made that decision, have you received any serious offers to return?

Once I stopped, I stopped. I made up my mind that even with offers, I wouldn’t come back. Also, I still had a contract with UFC, so if I suddenly decided to come back, I’d still be in the UFC.

There were some approaches from organisations, yes, but nothing serious. When Pelé retired, he said he’d only play two more matches in his life, one at 50 years old, one at 100 years old.

He couldn’t do the one at 100, unfortunately, but he kept his word because he never kicked a ball again. I'm pretty much thinking the same as Pelé.

Volkanovski has now matched your record. How would you feel if he broke it in his next fight?

I think what I achieved has to be valued. But at the same time, like we say, I grew up hearing this in football, that records are meant to be broken. So if Volkanovski manages to beat my record, I’ve got no problem with that. That’s a part of the sport.

He always says I’m the greatest and he’s always trying to get as close as possible. But if that happens, honestly, I don’t mind.  I actually thought the one who would dominate the division was Ilia, right? But then he won and moved up. But Volk came in and earned his place, so there’s no issue.

Many people consider you the greatest featherweight of all time regardless. Do you agree?

Do I consider myself the greatest featherweight of all time regardless of the record? Yes, I do. I’ve always considered myself that. From the time I came from WEC and then moved to the UFC, we kept defending and building a name in history.

I’ve always said it, from the beginning of my career, I considered myself the best. And thank God, the rankings have always placed me among the best, or the best of all time.

Do you think the current generation of featherweights could handle fighting in your era?

How do the best fighters today compare to my era? They’re two different generations, it’s very hard to compare two eras.

In my time, for example, to make someone feel it with kicks, I’d throw about 30 kicks per round. Nowadays there’s a lot of calf kicks, so things have changed a bit.

But these are transitions. It’s really hard to compare one era to another. I mean, a year ago I was still fighting at a high level.

But MMA is much easier in a way because of the internet, the access you have to your opponent’s footage, studying, performance analysis. You can analyse everything.

Back then, it was more from the heart, you were almost fighting in the dark. It was much harder to read things. The sport has evolved, it keeps growing every day. So it’s difficult to compare, but I think it was tougher in our time.

O’Malley is going to face your last opponent, Aiemann Zahabi, at the White House. Who do you think wins that fight?

For me, with all due respect, I see a comfortable win for Sean O’Malley. I think it’s a very straightforward fight for him.

I think Zahabi fought in Canada and everything went his way. I can even talk about my fight. There’s no way I should lose a round where I score two knockdowns on a fighter and he still wins the round. Even if he’s on top and landing shots, that shouldn’t outweigh two knockdowns. That doesn’t make sense.

So for me, it’s a very easy fight for O’Malley. He’s on a losing streak [against Merab], so he needs this opportunity. It’s only fair to give him a more manageable fight. With all respect to Zahabi.

At the peak of your career, would you have liked to face Ilia Topuria? How do you imagine that fight would go?

Would I have liked to face Illia Topuria in my prime? I think it would’ve been a great fight. Two guys that are always moving forward, always looking for the knockdown. In both our primes, it would’ve been a brilliant fight.

Honestly, the real winners would be the fans. He pushes forward a lot, takes shots, but is always looking for the knockout. It would’ve been a great matchup if it had happened.

Do you think Justin Gaethje has a chance against Topuria?

Do I think Justin Gaethje has a chance against Topuria? Absolutely. I never count Gaethje out. He’s a natural lightweight, very solid.

Technically, Ilia might be better, with more refined boxing. But we’re talking about a proper lightweight with serious power.

As I said, Ilia has a strong attack, but his defence leaves openings. If Gaethje lands, he could hurt him and cause problems.

And after that, do you think he would beat Islam?

Topuria vs. Islam? For me, Islam’s pressure [would be key] Ilia might manage one or two rounds, but from the third onwards, I think Islam would take over.

There’s a big size difference. In boxing and MMA, weight matters a lot. Ilia is small for lightweight. Islam comes in close to 90 kg. That’s a huge difference.

There are many comparisons being made between Ilia and Conor in terms of popularity. Do you see that similarity?

It’s hard to compare McGregor and Topuria. But right now, if they fought today, Ilia is ahead, he’s on a strong run. But if it were Conor in his prime, it would be a completely different fight for Ilia.

There are rumours McGregor might face Max Holloway. Do you believe he’ll return? And if he does, does he beat Max?

When a fighter becomes a global star, they start doing films. But they still need to stay in the Ultimate, otherwise they fade away.

The more people talk about him, the better. But at the same time, there comes a point where people stop believing it.

So he needs to fight. I believe at some point he has to come back, it doesn’t matter who against, but he needs to be in there fighting again to reignite that spark.

If he doesn’t fight for two more years after that, fine. But to remain a star, either he becomes just a marketing figure or he fights again.

If it happened now, I think it would be a great fight for both Conor and Holloway. Both are stand-up fighters, similar in age, it’s a great matchup and a great comeback opportunity for Conor.

What is your relationship with Conor like now?

What is my relationship with Conor like now? It’s very good. Not just with Conor, but with all my opponents, I’ve always had respect and a certain fondness for everyone.

We exchange messages now and then. Recently I told him I was very happy he accepted Jesus as his saviour. I congratulated him and all that.

Brazilian fans feel strongly because of how our fight went and everything that happened. But I have a good relationship with him and I always wish him the best. I hope he continues on the right path and does great things in life.

What do you think made McGregor so special at his peak?

What do I think made McGregor so special at his peak? I’d say two things. First, his fighting style, he’s obviously a great fighter, aggressive, strong striking.

Second, what he does outside the octagon, his marketing, his ability to read opponents, to get into their heads. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

When you combine those two factors, you get a star like him. If he has that name and recognition, it’s because he earned it.

It’s his style and his ability to sell himself like no one else. He knows how to talk, how to act, and he carries that into the fight, whether it works or not.

Win or lose, he already knows how he’s going to behave. He’s very different from everyone else, he’s got the right mindset and brilliant marketing. It’s the perfect combination.

How do you think your career would have been different if you had beaten Conor McGregor in that title fight?

How do I think my career would have been different if I had beaten Conor McGregor in that title fight? I think for the fans it would’ve been huge, a great fight, a big win. But I believe in destiny.

It wasn’t my mistake, it was Conor’s merit. He landed a great shot and won. After that, he moved up. I understand now, he struggled to make weight. He gained weight and never returned to featherweight because he wasn’t a natural fit for that division.

So I think things happened as they were meant to. I did my job, I fought, I won what I had to win, and I carried on. I’ve never been someone to dwell on losses. Once you spill a glass of milk, you can’t undo it, you clean it up and move on.

That’s how my career went. I asked for a rematch, then I fought for the title again, won it, and kept going.

What did you think of Ronda’s return, and how do you think that fight will play out?

I’m always happy to see great athletes like Ronda coming back, especially because of the matchmaking. For me, it’s perfect.  I think Gina was a great fighter.

So it’s a great matchup, but I think Ronda, even after being inactive, is still ahead of Gina. She’s an Olympic athlete, I always say that Olympic athletes are different.

 It doesn’t matter what sport they come from, they have a completely different level of conditioning compared to any other athlete.

Nowadays women have their place in the UFC, and it was Ronda who opened those doors for everyone in her division and beyond. So I see it very positively and hope it’s a great fight. But like I said, I think Ronda is a bit ahead.

Do you think Dana White will succeed in applying the UFC model to boxing? Would you sign with him?

Dana is doing a great job in boxing. But for me personally, it would be very difficult to accept an offer right now [from Zuffa] because it’s still early days. He’s still building, recruiting athletes, and growing the events.

But I think Dana White will succeed in boxing.  Dana knows what he’s doing. There’s a reason the UFC became what it is, it changed MMA. And I think he’s doing the same in boxing, bringing the organisation from the UFC.

Can Alex Pereira become a heavyweight champion? Would he beat Ciryl Gane?

Cyril Gane is a very tough matchup for Alex Pereira, I can tell you that. As a Brazilian, I hope Alex gets there and wins, no matter how, points or knockout.

But on the other side, there’s a huge challenge. Ciryl fights very intelligently. For me, a heavyweight with that kind of movement will almost always become a champion.

Alex needs to fight smart. On the feet, it’s a 50/50 fight given his power and experience. But Gane’s movement, his ability to get in and out, makes it difficult.

Still, given Poatan’s story, everything he’s achieved, I’m rooting for him. I hope he puts on a great performance and becomes champion.

Which footballer could be a good fighter? Neymar?

Which footballer would make a great fighter? Zlatan Ibrahimović. He’d be a great fighter. Honestly, if he went into MMA, he’d have a field day. Even some of his goals are like fight moves, very acrobatic. With his flexibility and physical ability, for me, Zlatan would be an excellent fighter.