José Aldo Net Worth

What is José Aldo Jr.'s Net Worth and Salary?

Jose Aldo Jr. is a Brazilian Mixed Martial Artist with a net worth of $9 million. He is highly celebrated for his career in the UFC, securing three UFC Featherweight championships. He also held the WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) championship before its merger with the UFC. In 2021, he became one of the top five bantamweight fighters in the UFC.

Until 2005, Aldo was undefeated in his MMA career until stopped by Luciano Azevedo. He then went on an 18-fight winning streak before being defeated by Conor McGregor at UFC 194 in 2015. Many consider Aldo to be one of the greatest featherweight fighters in MMA history.

Early Life

José Aldo da Silva Oliveira Júnior was born on September 9, 1986, in Manaus, Brazil. He suffered a permanent facial burn as a baby from a barbecue accident. Initially aspiring to be a soccer player, Aldo turned to martial arts after facing street assaults. He started training in capoeira before moving on to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Aldo remains an avid soccer fan, supporting Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.

At 17, Aldo moved to Rio de Janeiro to fully commit to MMA, often going without food and facing numerous hardships. His primary goal early on was to earn enough money to own a house.

Career

Aldo earned the nickname "Junior" early in his career. He won his first professional match at 17 by knockout within 16 seconds of the first round. After a brief setback against Luciano Azevedo in 2005, Aldo rebounded and joined the WEC, where he began his rise to international fame.

He made his WEC debut in 2008, defeating Alexandre Franca Nogueira in just eight seconds. He followed this with wins against Mike Brown and Urijah Faber. José defended his featherweight title successfully against Manvel Gamburyan.

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In 2010, the WEC merged with the UFC, expanding Aldo's competitive horizon. In 2011, he defended his title at UFC 129 via unanimous decision. In 2012, he knocked out Chad Mendes at UFC 142 and then vanquished Frankie Edgar, Ricardo Lamas, and Chan Sung Jung, again defending his title against Mendes.

In 2015, Aldo's winning streak was ended by Conor McGregor, who knocked him out in 13 seconds at UFC 194. He later reclaimed the featherweight title after McGregor was stripped, only to lose it to Max Holloway in 2017. Aldo was defeated again by Holloway in a subsequent rematch.

Aldo's reputation began to wane as he experienced losses to fighters like Alexander Volkanovski. In 2019, he moved to the Bantamweight division but lost to Marlon Moraes. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic slowing his career in 2020, Aldo fought at UFC 251, losing to Petr Yan but later defeating Marlon Vera. In 2021, he was set to fight Pedro Munhoz.

Fighting Style

Aldo is regarded mainly as a Muay Thai fighter who uses strikes from his hands and feet. Known for his strong defense, he is difficult to take down. His aggressive style has earned him numerous wins and knockouts, with almost 700 strikes in his career.