Jose Aldo’s first fight in Las Vegas was more than 12 years ago: a WEC featherweight title bout against Mike Brown on Nov. 18, 2009.
The WEC held a series of open workouts that week inside Palms Casino Resort, and the 23-year-old Aldo shed tears as he addressed the media. For an impoverished kid from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the sight of his own face on a Las Vegas billboard was overwhelming.
On Saturday, Aldo (30-7) will make his seventh appearance in Las Vegas when he takes on Rob Font (19-4) in the main event of UFC Fight Night.
The 35-year-old Aldo is a living legend in the sport, a former champion whose longevity is already something to admire. Back in 2009, when Aldo defeated Brown to become the WEC champion, it began a reign that would transition to the UFC and last through nine title defenses until his dethroning in 2015. When Aldo’s run at the top of the sport began, his opponent for this weekend, Font, was literally delivering pizzas to make ends meet and hopefully pay his way into community college.
That is how long Aldo has been competing at the highest level of MMA.
When a fighter is that successful for that long, the questioning inevitably turns to: How much longer can he do it? Aldo has faced that question for the past several years. He lost six of nine bouts from 2015 to 2020, four of those defeats coming by knockout. At one point, he talked about exiting the sport at age 30.
However, in his past two fights, Aldo has looked like a fighter with plenty left to give. He soundly defeated two ranked opponents in Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz. And if you look closely at his record,…
Source : espn
