UFC legend pens heartfelt retirement statement, Magomed Ankalaev trolls Alex Pereira, Tom Aspinall addresses setting unique record: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda MMA News Roundup!

In today's edition, Jose Aldo bids an emotional goodbye to the fight game after his loss at UFC 315. Meanwhile, Magomed Ankalaev adds fuel to his feud with Alex Pereira, trolling the Brazilian over a hacked retirement post. And over in the heavyweight division, Tom Aspinall isn’t celebrating after breaking a UFC record and continues to demand a shot at Jon Jones and the undisputed crown.

Let’s break it all down!

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Jose Aldo retires after loss at UFC 315

Two-time UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo announced his retirement following a brutal unanimous decision loss to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315 in Montreal. Aldo, 38, looked sharp early but faded as Zahabi rained down elbows in a punishing final round that closed the chapter of the Brazilian's storied MMA career.

This marks Aldo’s second retirement. The first came in 2022 before a brief stint in boxing and an eventual return to the UFC. Aldo took to social media to shed light on his decision, writing:

"That might have been my last time in the octagon. During this week I lived one of the biggest battles of my life, and it was not against an opponent, but within me. The past few years, I have re-fueled the dream of being a champion. Trained like always, delivered like never before. But as I was cutting weight, something inside me said, 'You don't need it anymore. ' It's time to move on. To live for my wife, for my children. To celebrate the story I wrote with every war, every belt conquered with blood, sweat and faith."

Check out the Instagram post below:

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Magomed Ankalaev mocks Alex Pereira as rivalry heats up

Magomed Ankalaev has turned up the heat on Alex Pereira, claiming he personally hacked the Brazilian’s X account after a now-deleted post hinted at Pereira’s retirement. Panic spread quickly across the MMA world until Pereira set the record straight that the post wasn’t from him and his account had been compromised.

Ankalaev took to X to respond to the message and wrote:

"They call me Big Ank, now they call me Hackaliev.”

Check out Magomed Ankalaev's X post below:

Ankalaev dethroned Pereira back in March at UFC 313, and both fighters have since expressed interest in running it back. With Dana White teasing a possible rematch, fans are eagerly waiting for a fight announcement.

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Tom Aspinall expresses frustration after unwanted UFC record

Tom Aspinall just made UFC history but it's not the kind he wanted.

The interim heavyweight champion now holds the record for longest reign as an interim champ in UFC history at 535 days, surpassing Renan Barao’s decade-old mark.

Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in 69 seconds in late 2023 to grab the interim championship and defended against Curtis Blaydes just as quickly. Yet he remains in title limbo, still waiting to unify the belt against Jon Jones.

Reflecting on the record on his YouTube channel, Aspinall said:

“That is bullsh*t. That’s not something that I wanted. I’m not proud of that one. No, I’m not that proud of that, to be honest. The interim title is nice. But the longest-reigning one? I obviously wanted to contend for the undisputed in the time that I’ve been interim.”

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments below (2:00):