“Você vai morrer,” meaning “You’re going to die” – these were 4 words that Conor McGregor breathed in Jose Aldo‘s face during the buildup to their UFC featherweight title fight back in 2015. Ten years later, the story could not be more different. One would think that McGregor and Aldo would be sworn enemies for life, considering how the Irishman terrorized Aldo verbally. Yet, when the ‘King of Rio’ descended the throne for the final time at UFC 315, McGregor was among those who celebrated his legacy, with four words that were a far cry from ‘you’re going to die.’

Right after ‘Scarface’ sent the world of mixed martial arts through an emotional roller coaster with his retirement speech inside the Octagon in Montreal, the former UFC double champion stepped up to pay his respects to his former rival. Taking to X, McGregor hyped up the UFC Hall of Famer and wrote, “Jose Aldo is a real legend.” But ‘Mystic Mac’ wasn’t done!

On Instagram, ‘The Notorious’ stumbled across a post by HinglishMMA, where the fan page highlighted Aldo soccer kicking Aiemann Zahabi in the face. Of course. ‘Mystic Mac’, just as surprised as everyone else, wrote, “Jose Aldo soccer kicks weren’t on my 2025 bingo card, but I’m glad I got to see them while he was around 🙏.” But the hype train went even higher when McGregor shared the post on his IG Story. And all that McGregor had to do next was reveal how amazed he was with Aldo’s last performance. He simply captioned the IG Story, “Jose Aldo last night 👀.”

McGregor was also supportive of Aldo when he came out of retirement for UFC 301. “Look at Aldo now, really happy to see Jose back….I was actually taken back that he did retire, when he retired. He was in contention! He was in title contention from where I was looking…I wonder if it is a financial play…that didn’t [lay out for him. I wonder if he was pressing for something more and they [UFC] didn’t let him,” the Mac said on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

And when Aldo was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, McGregor kept his reaction short and sweet – “Earned!” He wrote on X. Now, McGregor, with the rest of the fans, is wishing him a happy retirement. But there is one question that is looming large.

Will this retirement be the final one? Or will we get to see Aldo compete at Shooto Boxing or any other Brazilian tournament? Let’s find out!

Jose Aldo reveals the real reason why he chose to retire after UFC 315

After losing to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278, Aldo announced his retirement and left the Octagon to fight under the banner of Shooto Brasil Boxing and Gamebred Boxing. While his boxing bouts were kind of successful with 2 wins and 1 draw, the Rio de Janeiro native got back to the UFC and fought Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. However, his next two fights resulted in defeats. But was UFC 315 the last time we saw Aldo in the Octagon?  

Taking to X, the former UFC champion revealed, ”This may have been my last time inside the Octagon. This week, I faced one of the biggest battles of my life, and it wasn’t against an opponent, but within myself. Over the past few years, I rekindled the dream of becoming a champion once again. I trained as I always did, gave…more than I ever had. But while cutting weight, something inside me said: ‘You don’t need to do this anymore.’”

It seems like Aldo listened to that voice. He continued, “It’s time to move forward. To live for my wife, for my kids. To celebrate the story I wrote with every war, every belt earned through blood and faith. Thank you, Dana White and @lorenzofertita. Thank you to the UFC. And most of all — thank you, my fans. You were the fuel behind every walk to the cage. You made me a king. If this was my farewell, know that I leave in peace. With a heart full of gratitude and my head held high.”

Needless to say, Aldo’s heart was filled with gratitude for Dana White, Sean Shelby, and Lorenzo Fertitta. But as much as the fans wanted to see him fight again, his body was getting old. During his retirement speech, ‘Junior’ revealed that he didn’t have it in him anymore to cut weight and fight. He said, “I just don’t have it in my heart anymore, I think this is the last time you are going to see me, I can’t do this anymore.”

What are your thoughts on McGregor’s words for Aldo? Do you think Aldo made the right call to retire at UFC 315? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.