Octagon Report’s Top 10 Fighters of the Decade Countdown: No.10 Jose Aldo
By Esther Lin
The decade is coming to a close. At OctagonReport.com we’ve pulled a company- wide ranking of the top 10 fighters of this decade. We start the countdown today and will reveal the complete ranking Dec 31. The 2010’s have been the most important decade in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. There has been more talent them ever before. This has increased the number of fights and historic moments inside the octagon. With more talent comes more attention. The sport has had more eyes than ever before. With so many fighter it is a difficult task to stand out amongst the best in the world. Today, we look back at the No. 10 fighter of the decade: Jose Aldo
Jose Aldo is the fourth and final WEC Featherweight Champion, becoming the first UFC Featherweight Champion after the UFC/WEC merger.
No one in the history of the UFC has held the UFC featherweight title longer than Jose.
Aldo made 3 title defenses between 2010-2012. Over the span of those title defenses he took out contender after contender. From 2012 to 2013, Aldo defeated Frankie Edgar, Chan Sung Jung, and Ricardo Lamas.
The next 2 years were undoubtedly the most exciting and most watched of Aldo’s career. Coming into the Conor McGregor fight, Aldo was on 10-year winning streak. Which is unheard of in modern Mixed Martial Arts. After months and month of trash talking the build up came to an end and Aldo took on bitter rival Conor McGregor at UFC 194.
The most anticipated fight in featherweight history came to an end in only 13 seconds via Conor’s left hand. 13 seconds is all it took for Aldo’s four-year UFC championship reign to come to an end.
What we’ve learned in Mixed Martial Arts is that no one is safe. Even fighters who have reached the pinnacle of the sport can suffer losses. Anything can happen in MMA. What defines the greatest fighters is not their losses but how they overcome adversity and bounce back.
Aldo would return to the Octagon again. He has had his ups and downs. He won the interim featherweight title on July 2016 then suffered 2 back to back losses. Aldo was not finished yet, he would go on to win via TKO against the hardest hitting fighter in the 145lbs weight division. He followed up with another TKO in his next fight.
More recently, Aldo loss via split decision at UFC 245. Many believe he won that fight including UFC president Dana White.
It’s been 8 years since Aldo’s UFC debut, and he may not be perfect but has been pretty darn close. Aldo’s accomplishments have been simply outstanding. He has reached the top of the sport and remains amongst the best. It’s one thing to become the champion and reach greatness but its more impressive to maintain at a high level. Aldo’s consistency through his career prove he is one of the greatest fighters in the 145- pound weight division.
This is why Aldo made our rankings at No. 10 on Octagon Report’s “Top 10 Fighters of the Decade”.
