Enjoy This Collection Of Jose Aldo’s Most Violent Knockouts

Sometimes it feels like the UFC has become “The Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor  Show,” with those two superstars taking all the oxygen from the other fighters on the roster. Before they came along, Jose Aldo was a top-shelf champion who fought hard and finished violently — what promoter wouldn’t love that?

But since McGregor arrived at the top of the division, the UFC hasn’t been treating Aldo the way they used to. They railed hard against their featherweight champ when he pulled out of the original McGregor fight due to a broken rib — a broken rib the UFC insisted was only bruised. Teammates say Aldo feels disrespected by the promotion and may even retire after this fight, win or lose –which is a shame considering he’s one of the all time greats in mixed martial arts.

Aldo is 25-1 with that sole loss coming more than 10 years ago. Since then he’s faced a who’s who of the featherweight division, defeating Urijah Faber, Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian and Chad Mendes (twice). Fourteen of his wins come via KO, so let’s take a look at a few of them to appreciate the violence Aldo brings to all his fights.

Aldo kicked off his MMA career in 2004 and fought most of his early fights in Brazil, where crazy s**t like soccer kicks to a downed opponent are legal.

Mixed martial arts is still known there as “vale tudo” which translates to “anything goes.” That includes foot stomps and kicking a downed opponent in the head.

In 2008 he signed with World Extreme Cagefighting, the top league for weight classes under 155 pounds. He quickly made a name for himself, winning his first six fights via knockout. Here’s his 8-second knockout of Cub Swanson which earned him a shot at the WEC featherweight title.

Aldo’s ground and pound is deadly accurate. No matter where your hands are, his fist always seem to snake past them to hit you.

It doesn’t stop with his fists, though. Aldo will also catch you with a knee to the chin the moment you bring it within range.

Here’s that killer knee in action once again with Chad Mendes as the victim this time — and thrown off an escape from back control to boot!

He’s also not one to let off on a flurry if he’s got you hurt. For years Aldo had one of the best killer instincts in the game, swarming his opponent the moment they showed signs of weakness.

Conor McGregor may be the next big thing, but it’s no given that Jose Aldo’s days at the top are done. He’s held his position for years now with few signs of slowing down. If McGregor is going to take the belt off him Saturday at UFC 194, it’s going to be a hard-fought affair that will test both fighters to their limit.

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