Two-time UFC featherweight champion and current bantamweight contender Rafael dos Anjos has retired from mixed martial arts competition, according to sources cited by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.
Dos Anjos’ 18-year career in the sport saw him become widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. The news was initially reported by Combate.
Jose Aldo Quits MMA And The UFC
Many consider Aldo, who has a record of 31-8, to be the finest featherweight fighter of all time and one of the best fighters ever, regardless of weight class. He was undefeated in his first 25 professional fights, including several spectacular knockouts and easy decision triumphs.
It has been widely speculated that Aldo may leave the UFC for a career in boxing or another combat sport, and MMA Fighting has revealed that his camp has secured a release from his contract with one contest left.
Aldo’s Last Fight Was Less Than A Month Ago
It has been less than a month since Aldo’s most recent fight, which was a defeat to Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 278, and the news was made less than a week ago.
The loss brought Aldo’s winning streak to a stop after three bouts. When he finally decides to put up his gloves, he will do so with the bantamweight division of MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings holding the sixth spot.
Aldo made his debut as a professional fighter in August of 2004, and he started his career with a record of 10-1 until he earned a contract with the World Extreme Cagefighting business in 2008. During his time with World Extreme Cagefighting, Aldo amassed a total of 21 victories.
Before facing Mike Brown for the featherweight gold at WEC 44, Aldo continued his winning ways by knocking out his next five opponents.
Brown was the champion at the time. Brown held the title of champion in the category at the time. Aldo won his first championship when he was 23 years old. He did it by defeating Brown by knockout by technical knockout in the second round.
Winningly Defended Championship Twice Before Finally
Before making the transfer to the UFC as part of a corporate merger in 2010, which took place in 2010, Aldo successfully defended that title twice. Upon making the transition, he was instantly raised to the rank of the first UFC featherweight champion.
He was able to successfully defend the championship seven times in a row, which is still a record for the UFC until finally lost it to Conor McGregor at UFC 194. He then went on to win an interim title at UFC 200, which was subsequently upgraded to undisputed status in McGregor’s absence.
After losing a closely fought split decision to Marlon Moraes in 2019, Aldo moved down to the bantamweight class. There, he quickly found himself in a title fight for an open championship, which he eventually won.
At UFC 251, he suffered a submission defeat at the hands of Petr Yan in the fifth round, but he bounced back from that title loss with three straight victories over top-ranked competitors Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz, and Rob Font.
In addition, Aldo has significant victories against some of the finest fighters who have ever competed at 145 pounds, including Frankie Edgar, Urijah Faber, Cub Swanson, Ricardo Lamas, Kenny Florian, and Chad Mendes. These victories are also part of Aldo’s impressive resume.
