Jose Aldo is not stressing about his losing skid or place on the UFC roster going into UFC Fight Night 183.
Aldo (28-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC), a former longtime UFC and WEC featherweight champion, is currently in the midst of a three-fight losing streak. He looks to bounce back Saturday when he meets Marlon Vera (16-6-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) in the bantamweight co-headliner, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.
The fight is Aldo’s return to action after he fell short of the vacant 135-pound belt against Petr Yan at UFC 251 in July. The other losses in his current skid came to Marlon Moraes and Alexander Volkanovski, and while it doesn’t look great on paper, Aldo is not concerned about his position.
“I feel now like it’s the restart of my career,” Aldo told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 183 media day. “I feel like it’s the first fight of my career. … I’m not feeling any pressure because I always fight with great fighters. I just keep training hard and get ready for my next opponent. I’m not feeling any pressure.”
Aldo may have three straight defeats on his record, but he gave Yan all he could handle become succumbing to strikes in the fifth round. Prior, he fought Moraes to a split decision that the UFC felt so strongly Aldo should have won, it gave him a title fight. Volkanovski, who is the reigning 145-pound king, took a more convincing decision, but it was rather uneventful.
Ultimately, though, Aldo hasn’t had his hand raised since February 2019. He’s 34, and has no shortage of fighting miles on his body. Aldo has already put together a UFC Hall of Fame-worthy career, but he claims his passion for championship-level success hasn’t faded.
“What keeps me motivated is the victory,” Aldo said. “I’m training hard because I want to be a champion at my new division. That’s my motivation every day.”
Aldo will look to get back on the winning side of things against one of the rising stars of the bantamweight division in “Chito” Vera, who has won his past six fights in the weight class.
It’s a matchup Vera specifically called for, and Aldo said he’s not taking it lightly. There are many questions around what the future could hold for the Brazilian, but Aldo said his entire thought process is contained to Saturday’s fight.
“I will always keep my career step by step,” Aldo said. “Right now I just think about Marlon Vera, but after Marlon Vera I can think about the future.”
To hear more from Aldo, watch the video above.