(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) RIO DE JANEIRO – It takes a small army of security personnel to usher Jose Aldo into the van that awaits the UFC’s featherweight titleholder. Along the way, he answers as many reporters’ questions as possible, smiles for camera click after camera click and signs a few dozen autographs. Thursday’s swirl of activity follows a three-hour engagement in which Aldo participated in a news conference, put on a public workout session that featured a soundtrack by a live rock band and then waded through a sea of fans and reporters to answer even more questions as microphones, cameras and recorders were shoved in his face. It was time for Aldo to retreat to his hotel, but his removal from the scene was anything but easy. “You get more experienced with fighting, and you get more experienced with everything else that goes with it, too,” Aldo told USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through a translator. “I’m OK with it. Just go in there and do my job. I feel like that makes me more comfortable with everything.” In his native Brazil, Aldo is a superstar, plain and simple
BAD MMA Trending Cloud
UFC • Bellator • Conor Mcgregor • news • PFL • Jon Jones • ta block • Daniel Cormier • Dustin Poirier • Khabib Nurmagomedov • videos • AXS TV Fights • Francis Ngannou • WSOF • Jorge Masvidal • Anderson Silva • Nate Diaz • Ronda Rousey • Amanda Nunes • Dana White • Max Holloway • Donald Cerrone • ufc news • Michael Bisping • Tony Ferguson • Kamaru Usman • Demetrious Johnson • Alexander Volkanovski • Henry Cejudo • Michael Chandler • Jose Aldo • Charles Oliveira • One Championship • Aljamain Sterling • featured • Derrick Lewis • Tyron Woodley • Georges St Pierre • Holly Holm • Stipe Miocic
- MMA News (105282)
- Saudi Arabia announces extended partnership with UFC, including pay-per-view sponsorship
- Colby Covington denies contract offer for Ian Machado Garry: ‘This fight has not been presented’
- Chael Sonnen makes case for Jose Aldo title shot after UFC 301
- UFC on ESPN 56 pre-event facts: Can Derrick Lewis extend all-time KO record?
- Luke Rockhold has a wild idea for a Karate Combat grand prix involving UFC legends
- Payton Talbott draws Yanis Ghemmouri at UFC 303 on June 29
- UFC on ESPN 56 commentary team, broadcast plans set: Laura Sanko joins booth for second time in 2024
- Daniel Cormier: Jon Jones ‘smart’ for going after Alex Pereira over Tom Aspinall
- Heather Hardy suffering from effects of ‘too much brain damage,’ indicates fighting career is over
- Dustin Poirier explains how Islam Makhachev ‘more of a threat’ than Khabib Nurmagomedov