Concerning pictures have emerged online of Jose Aldo as he undergoes extreme weight loss in his attempt to make weight for his next fight.
The 33-year-old is due for his first bantamweight fight at UFC 245 on December 14, and recent photos have raised concerns about whether he will make weight.
Drained and Gaunt
Aldo is required to drop weight in order to face Marlon Moraes at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada next week. But images have been shared online which show the former featherweight champion looking drained and gaunt.
Despite previously struggling to make 145lbs, Aldo surprised fans by opting to drop to 135lbs in order to face fellow Brazilian Moraes.
He has since revealed details of his exhaustive weight-loss regime as he attempts to shed the pounds to make his bantamweight debut. Speaking of his extreme diet, he told MMA Fighting: “Yeah, I’ve always done that, but this time I can’t eat steak.”
“Only if it was a vegan home steak, only salads.”
“I eat a lot now, almost two pounds of salad a day. But I’ll be able to do it this Saturday after the race. “
“I’ve been on a two-month diet and we’ve changed a lot already, but it wasn’t that different.”
“We’re making another diet this week, but it’s good for me. Proper time eating healthy foods alone, and that keeps me really strong.”
Still Hurting
Aldo goes into the fight off the back of a defeat to Australian Alexander Volkanovski, and claims that the decision defeat hurt him more than the disastrous 13-second knockout he suffered to Conor McGregor in 2015.
Speaking about the loss, Aldo said: “It hurts a lot more, for sure,”
“Conor and I, we fought and he landed a good punch.”
“In Rio, it was about the performance. That’s what bothers me. I couldn’t do anything.”
“I didn’t try anything. If you lose but try something, okay. You get sad for the loss, but you tried, you fought. But that one, I’m embarrassed. I can’t watch that fight.”
“I was too dumb. I had knee surgery and everybody told me not to fight but I was dumb to ask for a fight,”
“It’s no one’s fault nor an excuse for the loss. The moment I accept a fight I have to be ready. I thought I could win, I was well-trained, I was in my city, but it was a total mistake not doing everything I trained and ‘Dede’ asked me to do.”
Aldo posted a photo to Instagram on November 14 looking considerably more healthy than in the photos that surfaced recently.
See it below:
Will He Make It?
But in light of the recent images, and with less than ten days remaining, reports are suggesting that the Brazilian is struggling with his weight.
Will he make the cut, and if he does, will he be physically fit enough to put up a fight?
(Featured image source: Twitter/ Aaron Bronsteter, TSN Sports)