Aldo wants to retire as featherweight champion and fight his last fight in Brazil

J. Aldo (photo) who started his MMA career in 2004 could end it in 2019. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC

At 31, José Aldo this Saturday (28) at UFC Calgary against Jeremy Stephens is counting down to his retirement. The Brazilian still has four fights left in his UFC contract. With a career that began in 2004, the former featherweight champion dreams of retiring with the belt that accompanied him for more than four years. To finish his career in MMA, he wants to say goodbye in Brazil.

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“I have this one and then I have three more fights. Speaking with an open heart: my intention now is to win this fight and perhaps, in the future, fight for the belt. If I'm a champion, I can stop, but I won't renew. I'm counting down to end my career. I did my job very well, I dedicated myself a lot, I achieved everything”, explained Aldo in an interview with the website “Combate.com”.

The People's Champion guaranteed that if he wins the belt before the three fights, he will stop and not complete his contract. The goal after winning the featherweight title is to enjoy family. “I'm going to enjoy life with my family, because everything I achieved in the fight gives me the peace of mind to stop very well. The objective is for us to fight for the title. If I won, I would say goodbye at home, in Brazil. It would be beautiful, it was where I started and where I wanted to end,” he said. José Aldo.

The Brazilian revealed that the strategy for the clash against Stephens is to use his style of play, as the opponent will be on the defensive. “I trained to fight standing up and on the ground. He's a dangerous guy, who tries to hit with strength. If I have the opportunity, I can put it down. If I have an opportunity, I will come and beat him. I think that firstly I'm going to look for victory, I don't care about my opponent, otherwise we'll already be defeated”, he concluded.

José Aldo He has 30 fights in his career with 26 wins and four losses. The Brazilian left the WEC as champion and started in the UFC, unifying the two organizations' featherweight belts in 2011 against Mark hominick. The People's Champion made six belt defenses before losing by a knockout to Conor McGregor in December 2015.