If he retired tomorrow, Jose Aldo could do so as one of the two or three greatest featherweights of all-time; and no one with any sense of history would frown upon his being ranked No. 1.
The Nova Uniao cornerstone made his professional debut as a 17-year-old on Aug. 10, 2004, rose to global prominence in World Extreme Cagefighting and then linked arms with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he continued to build his hall-of-fame legacy. Now 33 and with 34 pro bouts in his rear-view mirror, the former WEC and UFC titleholder’s prodigious skills have begun to erode with the unavoidable encroachment of Father Time.