At UFC 315, Jose Aldo hung up his gloves and walked away from the sport. However, what should have been a heartfelt farewell to a legend of the sport ended in chaos, controversy, and claims of robbery. The ‘King of Rio’ was looking to bounce back from his split decision loss to Mario Bautista at UFC 307. And while he showed glimpses of his vintage form, the night ended with yet another decision loss for the Brazilian.

During his post-fight interview, Aldo confessed, “I don’t think I have it in me anymore”, as he announced his decision to step away from the sport. But the fans were left with more questions than answers. Did the former 2-time featherweight champion do enough to win? Was it another case of controversial judging in the UFC? Well, Michael Bisping and Paul Felder, two veterans of the sport, have now come out and settled the debate once and for all!

Michael Bisping and Paul Felder lay the Jose Aldo UFC 315 controversy to rest with a blunt reality check

In the aftermath of UFC 315 and Jose Aldo’s abrupt retirement, the debate rages on. On the ‘Believe You Me’ podcast, Michael Bisping put it plainly as he asked, “Did Jose Aldo Jr. deserve to win on Saturday night? Did he get robbed? This is the question.” His co-host, Paul Felder, didn’t shy away as he admitted, “I do have an opinion. I think there’s a world where, technically, maybe you could have given him the decision because he might have won the second round. But I think ultimately, the MMA gods rewarded the rightful winner in that one because of that third round.”

Let’s rewind for a second. Aldo looked sharp early. In round one, he was the bigger man, sharper striker, and had the quicker trigger. He ripped to the body, circled gracefully, and kept Aiemann Zahabi hesitant.  Bisping even stated, “Aldo looked like the better fighter, it looked like Aiemann Zahabi didn’t belong in there with him in the first round…”

But the tide began to turn. In round two, Zahabi started chipping away, nothing flashy, but enough to make you take notice. A few shots, a few steps forward, and Aldo started to slow. Then came round three. That’s where the fight changed and where fans split. Aldo cracked Zahabi and sent him flying with a right hand and a follow-up kick that resembled a soccer penalty! It looked like the finish was near. But it didn’t come. And that’s when the tank emptied.

As such, Felder stated, “And I love Jose Aldo, I respect him so much, but he was dead. He was looking at the clock with three minutes left in the round. You didn’t win that fight if you’re looking at the clock with 3 minutes left in the fight.”

Aldo then shot for a desperate takedown. The Canadian reversed, landed on top, and dropped thunderous elbows. A bloodied and battered Jose Aldo survived till the final horn, but barely. And let’s not forget the backstory. This was supposed to be a bantamweight fight, but the Brazilian missed weight badly (by 7 pounds) and the fight was then scheduled as a featherweight clash instead.

Michael Bisping then put the final nail in the coffin as he ended with, “Who should have won that third round? I still agree with you, I say Aiemann Zahabi did enough.”

But was the heartbreak really a robbery? While fans still debate who truly won Round 3, a respected voice has stepped into the conversation, legendary referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy. And he sided with the judges.

Veteran referee points out Aldo lost his “spirit” in the final round

‘Big’ John McCarthy believes Aiemann Zahabi earned the nod at UFC 315 because of what he did late. While acknowledging the fact that Jose Aldo’s flurry may have nearly ended the fight, but then something changed. What was it? On the ‘Weighing In Podcast’, McCarthy explained, “It’s not only the shots themselves. It’s the way that Aldo is looking.”

That shift, he argued, mattered more than one clean head kick or knee. Once Zahabi reversed the ill-advised takedown and locked in top control, he went to work. Elbows rained down like hammers while the Brazilian clung on desperately to his opponent in an attempt to minimize the damage. As such, the veteran referee further shared, “When you’re looking at it, you’re also looking to see, ‘Is this damage causing a person to lose confidence, to lose the ability to compete, to lose their spirit?’ And if you look at that last round, all of those were there. Every one of them.”

His co-host, Josh Thomson, didn’t quite buy it as he claimed McCarthy was getting swayed by the “blood” being spilled inside the cage. Yet, McCarthy stood firm as he stated, “I’m not letting blood influence anything. If that fight had to go on longer, what would happen?”

In McCarthy’s eyes, it wasn’t about blood or stats, it was about spirit. Aldo’s body language told a story that numbers couldn’t, and if the fight had one more round, fans might have witnessed more of the same. And maybe that’s where the heartbreak lies. Not in the decision, but watching a legend crumble and fade in front of our very eyes.