Former WEC, UFC featherweight Jose Aldo to headline 2023 UFC Hall of Fame class

Aldo, arguably the greatest featherweight in MMA history, has a home in the UFC Hall of Fame

By Shakiel Mahjouri

Jan 21, 2023 at 11:07 pm ET • 1 min read

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Jose Aldo will take his well-deserved place among legends in the UFC Hall of Fame. Aldo's induction into the UFC Hall of Fame class of 2023 was announced in front of his countrymen and women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at UFC 283 on Saturday night.

UFC ran a video package revealing Aldo's induction during the main card of UFC 283. Aldo was live in attendance for the event. He was visibly moved by the announcement and crowd reception.

Aldo announced his retirement from mixed martial arts on the day on Sept. 18, 2022, the same day his son was born. Aldo, 36, was still very competitive at the time of his retirement. He lost a close decision to Merab Dvalishvili who is currently ranked No. 3 at bantamweight and came into the fight with three straight wins against noteworthy opponents.

The King of Rio's road to the #UFCHOF 🇧🇷👑

[ @JoseAldoJunior | Presented by @ToyoTires ] pic.twitter.com/WiyNDLIe8Z
— UFC (@ufc) January 22, 2023

Aldo's name is alive and well in the conversation of the greatest featherweight champion in MMA history. Aldo won 17 consecutive fights and was crowned the inaugural UFC featherweight champion after successfully defending his WEC featherweight title. Urijah Faber, Frankie Edgar (twice), Chad Mendes, "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung, Kenny Florian and Cub Swanson are just a handful of the many fighters that Aldo vanquished. He also shared the cage with Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Conor McGregor.

"Jose Aldo is the greatest featherweight of all time," UFC president Dana White said in a statement. "From WEC to UFC, Jose helped us build the sport of MMA and UFC as a brand, as well as change the perception of the smaller weight classes and what they could accomplish inside the Octagon. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer."

Aldo reinvigorated his career with a move from featherweight down to bantamweight in 2019. He had an unsteady start at first but found his footing, defeating Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font in succession.