Alexander Volkanovski says Jose Aldo still featherweight GOAT: 'He brought a lot of us into the sport'

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has paid his respect for the recently retired Jose Aldo.

Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC), who is currently the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, defeated Aldo by unanimous decision in May 2019. The win earned him a title shot against then-champion Max Holloway, whom Volkanovski would go on to dethrone and defend his title four times.

Although Volkanovski’s recent run includes three wins over fellow featherweight great Holloway and a win over Aldo – among others – Volkanovski still sees Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) as the greatest featherweight of all time due to his resume, which includes seven title defenses.

“I still have him as the featherweight GOAT just because what he’s done for the sport,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “So many defenses and stuff like that. I’m coming for that status. I’ll be honest, I’m coming for it, but yeah, he’s got it. He’s the man, he brought a lot of us into the sport. I still remember watching him before I even started and he was still competitive until now, still right at the top, crazy legacy.

“A lot of times I think of how many times people thought he was done and dusted. He would have a loss and then come back and just kick ass again and still look just as fast as ever. The reasons why everyone loves him so much is he’s talented, very technical, skilled, but he’s very respectful. A true martial artist is what he is, a true martial artist. Very good skillfully, technically, explosive, very respectful. So a true martial artist and I think that’s why a lot of people always give him so much respect.”

Aldo retired last week with one fight remaining on his UFC contract. After losing to Volkanovski, Aldo made his bantamweight debut and managed to challenge for the title, but fell short to Petr Yan at UFC 251. He exits the sport having won three of his past four, over Marlon Vera, Pedro Munhoz and Rob Font.