Jose Aldo, the UFC bantamweight contender and former and inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion, might potentially have had his last fight at UFC 278, as his latest opponent Merab Dvalishvili has claimed.
Merab Dvalishvili says he was “a little bit heartbroken” to hear Jose Aldo saying he will retire
Aldo and Dvalishvili clashed on the undercard of UFC 278 at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City last Saturday night, which ended with a unanimous decision win for the 31-year-old Georgian.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23960129/1416150828.jpg "Merab Dvalishvili Reveals Jose Aldo Has Planned To Retire After UFC 278: He Said \"I guess I’m Done\" - Jose Aldo")
Aldo, who had contested for the Bantamweight title back in 2020, had already stated that he plans to defeat Dvalishvili, win the 135-pound belt and then call it a career. However, ‘The Machine’ has seemingly disrupted his plan last weekend.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Dvalishvili revealed the interaction he had with Aldo in the cage after going three rounds against one another, which ended with the Brazilian contemplagint that he’s done.
“When he was down and I [went] to shake his hand and tell him, ‘Thank you so much for the fight,’ and I go to respect him, he was down, and I tried to help him, and he was telling me, he said, ‘That means this is my last fight, because it was my last run to title,’” said Dvalishvili, “and then he said, ‘I guess I’m done.’”
“It was a very emotional moment. That’s why I was talking to him. I said, ‘You’re amazing, you did so much, you don’t have anything to prove, you’re a legend – you’re a king.’ I was a little bit heartbroken,” he went on, “It’s hard when you see somebody like this. As a fighter, I know how hard [it is]. I never want to end my career. I always want to fight. I don’t see when I should retire. But when he realized he lost, he said, ‘That was my last run to title. I guess I’m done.’ That was hard.”
Aldo did put up a post on Instagram following the loss, which did not include any hint at a potential retirement.
“We are the story we write. Take care of every detail of your path, every step, step or curve. Every difficulty and every achievement. He’s a better planner than you. You may even doubt him, but he will always believe in you. He put you in this world to shine. To be better every day. To smile and make people around you smile. What matters is what makes your heart beat. Don’t accept a less amazing life than you deserve. Thank you for all the affection I receive along my walk, this is priceless,” Junior wrote, “Who will be in the trenches by your side? – Does it matter? – More than the war itself.”
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