What is the meaning behind Jose Aldo’s tattoos? New Arm Ink & More

Jose Aldo has more than a few weapons to intimidate his opponents inside the cage. The masterpiece on his shoulder does the job of introducing his opponents to the fearsome Brazilian. Needless to say, many other fighters have sought out help from their tattoos to strike fear in their rivals’ hearts. But with Aldo, his aura goes far beyond just the ink on his body.

And how can we forget ‘Junior’s success in the MMA cage? Because of his incredible MMA record, many people often consider ‘The King of Rio’ to be the greatest Featherweight fighter in the world. Along with this was also the fourth and final WEC Featherweight champion before the promotion was bought out by the UFC. But we’ll keep his professional career on the side right now and take a look at the meanings behind the tattoos of the former two-time UFC champion.

What does Jose Aldo’s shoulder tattoo mean?

Whenever one sees Jose Aldo, the thing that first catches their eye is the tattoo that the fighter has on his left shoulder. Many people have various tattoos inked on their body, and most of them mean something to the individual. The tattoo that Aldo has on his shoulder is pretty interesting. Junio has a cross and tombstone along with multiple skulls inked on its base.

According to Aldo, the skulls represent the enemies he has beaten in his fights. The legend claimed that he keeps adding a new skull whenever he beats an opponent. At the bottom of the tattoo, there are some Japanese letters written inside a banner. Those letters are, in fact,  Junior’s name written in Japanese letters, and show how much respect he has for the martial arts culture of the ancient Asian nation. Therefore, it is clear that the tattoo means a lot to Aldo and is something very personal to him. Now, let’s move over and uncover the meaning of the tattoo on the former champion’s sleeve.

Jose Aldo gets a new sleeve tattoo 

Jose Aldo highly values family life and has always depicted his deep attachment to it. It is for this reason that the former featherweight champion, who is a Hall of Famer, decided to have himself inked again in 2022 as a way of showing much love to his family. Aldo shared this tattooed body art news in an Instagram post he made.

The tattoo, which was in black and white, wasn’t finished when ‘Junior’ shared the image on his socials. Regardless, Jose Aldo confirmed that this tattoo represented his family, which had a pride of lions. In his Instagram post, he wrote, “We started the tattoo on the family side, we still have to close the inside of the arm. Thank @rodrigoborgestatto it was great brother!” Meanwhile, the Brazilian legend inked his arm yet again in 2023 with a full-sleeve etching featuring a wolf, a full moon, a lion, a clock, an eagle, and a family portrait. The artwork was done by famous artist Renan de Oliveira also known who has inked other famous fighters in the past. 

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The lion is a totem for strength and ferocity, while the eagle symbolizes freedom and focus. The clock tattoo could serve as a reminder of his mortality and the fleeting nature of life. The wolf tattoo also symbolizes strength, freedom, as well as intelligence. The moon tattoo, however, is a much more reflective tattoo, signifying growth and change, which is appropriate for the legend as he approaches 40. 

Interestingly, the Brazilian legend also had a tattoo that mysteriously faded away.

The story behind Jose Aldo’s disappearing tattoo

When Jose Aldo faced Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC Fight Night 183, he had a new tattoo on his chest. Aldo was coming into the fight after three successive losses and desperately needed to win the fight. However, the focus was still on the new ink on Aldo’s chest and how it disappeared after the fight.

‘Junior’ did not have that tattoo when he stepped up for the weigh-ins ahead of his fight with Vera. However, before the start of the fight, Aldo was seen sporting the new ink on his chest. But by the time the fight ended, the temporary tattoo had disappeared. There was some buzz around the tattoo, and questions were raised whether the unauthorized tattoo would run afoul of the UFC’s Promotional Guidelines Policy. And ‘Junior’ was very apologetic about his tattoo and clarified that it was a way for him to pay homage to the Brazilian Navy Seals, with whom he had trained briefly.

After the fight, Aldo was quizzed about the same. He said, “The truth, I didn’t know if I needed permission because it’s the Navy Seals. I put it there in the hotel before I came here, and I warmed up for three hours without a shirt… Nobody told me anything. I don’t think it’s a problem because it doesn’t have any sponsor information. If I caused any problems, I apologize.” The tattoo was a way of Aldo honoring the Brazilian Navy Seals during his fight,.

Would you consider Aldo’s facial scar as another ‘tattoo’ that he can deploy to intimidate his opponents? Let us know what you think of the Brazilian’s tattoos in the comments down below.