Should Jose Aldo Be Stripped Of The Title?

Jose Aldo is currently the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and the long-time king of the UFC’s featherweight division. Actually, Aldo is the only featherweight champion in UFC history, racking up seven-straight title defenses, along with his unparalleled 18-straight wins. However, he may not be the most active, or reliable fighter, and it seems as if the UFC and fans may be getting fed up with him, especially with his last set back.

“Scarface” was set to meet Irish star Conor McGregor at next weekend’s (July 11, 2015) UFC 189, but unfortunately pulled out with a rib injury a mere week and a half before fight night. It was the most anticipated fight of the year, as well as the biggest money making fight of the year, so it’s understandable why fans and the UFC brass would be upset.

The UFC has now slated former title challenger Chad Mendes to meet McGregor for an interim title, but does that mean Aldo should be stripped of his long-held featherweight title?

It’s a tough question as I happen to see points from each side. On one side, Dana White did announce on Sports Center that Aldo had pulled out of five title fights in his reign of terror, which is quite a bit, and not something you look for in a champion.

Then there’s the argument that that Aldo doesn’t fight often enough or he doesn’t defend his title as much as he should, but I actually believe that that is untrue. Since his UFC championship tenure began in 2011, Aldo has fought twice in every year up until 2014 with the exception of 2012. Now, this may not remain true in 2015, but that also may be contributed to the UFC using six months to promote the fight, but my point is that Aldo has remained a bit more active than many believe.

As far as defending his belt, some may also not realize that “Scarface” has defended his strap just as many or more times than all other champions since his reign began. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden proved this with a very informative chart that showcases Aldo’s title defense history compared with the other UFC divisions.

So at the end of the day, I understand why many are upset with Aldo, as I am also upset that the fight will not be happening, but I simply don’t believe that should result in Aldo being stripped of his title. When you look at the facts, despite pulling out of five fights, “Scarface” has remained pretty active, and has defended his title at a normal pace.

Also, his latest injury should only keep him out until the fall, meaning he will meet Mendes or McGregor in no time. After the initial anger and sadness of the fight being called off, many may agree that the only way Aldo should lose his championship is to actually lose it, in a cage.