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#4. When Jose Aldo almost quit MMA
Jose Aldo's journey to MMA stardom came close to never occurring. Aldo's loss to Luciano Azevedo at Jungle Fight in 2005 almost made 'Junior' quit the sport of MMA.
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What was so bad about earning the first loss of his professional MMA career? It was Aldo's lightweight debut, a decision he had made because of a lack of opportunities for featherweights at the time. Even after the transition, all Aldo got was a submission loss and a big blot on his MMA resume.
Devastated by a loss that dimmed his future prospects as either featherweight or a lightweight, 'Junior' considered leaving mixed martial arts for good. Aldo's wife revealed what went down at the time and said:
"We had few opportunities to fight at 145 pounds. We considered moving up to lightweight so he could fight in the UFC. He [Jose Aldo] said, 'I will never make money [as a featherweight]. I'll move up and try going to the UFC,' but there was a long list of fighters at Nova Uniao waiting for a chance. 'It might take a while before you get there,' they told him. He tried going to Japan, but it didn't work either."
#3. Jose Aldo once owned Neymar Jr. on a soccer pitch
It might not come as a secret that Jose Aldo's first love was football. It was by fighting with players of rival soccer teams in his neighborhood that 'Junior' was introduced to mixed martial arts.
Aldo played football across several schools and clubs in Brazil with some success. Once set on the path to MMA stardom, it would've been difficult for anyone to imagine him returning to the soccer field.
Appearing in a 'Football Against Hunger' charity match alongside various celebrities and athletes, Aldo embarrassed one of the biggest footballers on the planet. Awakening the soccer lover in him, Aldo pulled off a terrific rainbow flick on Neymar, making headlines in media all over the world.
Watch Jose Aldo and Ken Florian do keep-ups in the UFC octagon:
