Has Jose Aldo announced his retirement after losing to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278?

As of today, Jose Aldo hasn't officially announced his retirement from professional MMA. However, his latest opponent, Merab Dvalishvili, recently revealed some personal words that were shared between the two fighters after their bout.

Aldo lost to the Georgian via unanimous decision after three rounds of fighting at UFC 278. While speaking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Dvalishvili stated that Aldo told him it was his last fight and that he wouldn't make another title run again:

"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.' And then he said, ‘I guess I’m done.'"

Watch the full episode here:

However, on his personal Instagram account, Jose Aldo made no reference to retiring or his opponent's comments when posting an inspirational message to his fanbase.

The former UFC featherweightchampion did give a slight hint at his "journey" coming to an end after thanking everyone for the affection given to him along the way:

"Thank you for all the affection I receive along my journey, it's priceless. Who will be in the trenches next to you? - and does it matter ? - More than the war itself."

Despite Dvalishvili's post-fight comments and Jose Aldo's Instagram post, there has been no official announcement of the Brazilian retiring from the sport or leaving the UFC.

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When did Jose Aldo last compete for a UFC title?

Despite these rumors of Jose Aldo potentially leaving MMA or the UFC, the Brazilian last fought for a UFC title just two years ago, proving that he is still one of the best in the division.

Aldo took on Petr Yan at UFC 251 in 2020, but lost in the fifth round after the Russian landed some heavy ground-and-pound strikes on the Brazilian. Since that defeat, 'Junior' has won three out of his last four bouts, beating Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font in consecutive fights.

However, the former UFC champion's winning streak was brought to an end against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 in the Brazilian's most recent outing.