Daniel Cormier credits Jose Aldo for helping legitimize lighter-weight names and bolstering them to newer heights. Aldo returns on home turf to meet Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 on Saturday’s co-main event. ‘The King of Rio’ is fighting his last outing under his contractual run. Ahead of this, ‘DC’ touches on how names like Max Holloway and Conor McGregor have reached their fandom on the heels of the original featherweight G.O.A.T.
Jose Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) is a former WEC/UFC featherweight titleholder and UFC HOF. He had previously declared his exit after a UD loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278. Aldo had a slick title run with seven defenses before eventually opting to drop down to 135. Daniel Cormier praised Aldo for not only engaging people with his performances but also inspiring his peers.
I didn’t respect small guys to that degree before Aldo. So there is no Max [Holloway], Conor [McGregor], or any respect for the smaller dudes …if Aldo didn’t lead the way with his performances…The moment that I truly recognized his star was when he fought Chad Mendes…I thought to myself, ‘Wow, if I can have one moment, just one moment to feel what this guy is feeling right now, my entire athletics career would be complete.’ That’s what Jose Aldo was…
Daniel Cormier via the “Good Guy/Bad Guy” Podcast (ESPNPodcenter)
In essence, Cormier seems spot-on in his analysis. Holloway is the current BMF champion, and he won with an all-time knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. He’s the only fighter ever to have held the old undisputed belt, legacy, and silver strap. Meanwhile, ‘The Notorious’ boasts UFC’s top ten gate buys as the consensus PPV king. However, they only rose to fame after Aldo.
In fact, when McGregor, 22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC, fought Holloway in the undercard of UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen, Shogun Rua was in splits. The cap-totting demeanor of two scrawny featherweights had incited quite the crackles from him. The current fandom that they boast is all courtesy of the legacy Aldo created. Cormier says that before Aldo’s last appearance at UFC 301 at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro,
Jose Aldo’s legacy: What’s next for the stellar 145-pound class?
Daniel Cormier commends UFC 301’s returning fighter Jose Aldo as a pioneer of the featherweights. He cannot be more right on the subject. The fate of the division has been very cyclic, with a limited staple of champions, but it all starts with Aldo.
Jose Aldo paved the way for 145-pound stalwarts Max Holloway & Conor McGregor (Source: ESPN MMA (@espnmma) / X)155lbs is super-stacked with ex-champs, hitters, and phenomenal clinchers. Like Dustin Poirier, Mateusz Gamrot, Rafael Fiziev, Bobby Green, Charles Oliveira, and so on. The 170lbers boast a plethora of shiners like Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, Geoff Neal, Stephen Thompson, and Jack Della Maddalena. However, only five fighters have held the 145 title strap. Yair Rodriguez marks the sixth person to hold an interim belt after UFC 284.
Apr30.2011
Jose Aldo makes the 1st defense of his UFC Featherweight title,
when he defeats Mark Hominick by unanimous decision at UFC 129 pic.twitter.com/waDMBm64Kv
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) April 30, 2024
When WEC merged with the new UFC, Aldo defeated Mark Hominick at UFC 129 on Apr 30, 2011, in the first-ever undisputed featherweight championship bout. He made successful defenses against Kenny Florian, Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes (2), and others. Conor McGregor snagged it notoriously at UFC 194. After him, Max Holloway won an interim strap next at UFC 206: Holloway vs. Pettis.
Alexander Volkanovski would win it and go 5-0, along with a win over interim champion Rodríguez at UFC 290. Ilia Topuria KO’ed Volk at UFC 298 and changed the guard. Now, the Aussie even considers Aldo the G.O.A.T. for stretching his title run and kickstarting it all. There’s no telling what future changes the division will see, but Jose Aldo’s role in that has been undeniable so far.
