There are only two fights left for Aldo be he enacts a self-imposed retirement, but Aldo would like to leave the sport as a champion.
“First of all, I have to win on Saturday, I have to respect my opponent,” Aldo said to Combate. “I have multiple scenarios in my head. If I’m in the UFC, I’ll always pursue the belt. That’s what it was like in the WEC, it’s not any different in the UFC. I like to look at some champions as role models. I saw Georges St-Pierre quitting when he was in his prime. It was always a dream of mine to become a champion and then stop. Everything can change. First, we need to focus on the task at hand, win and then see if I’ll fight for the belt or do a super fight. One thing is for sure, I don’t see myself fighting for many more years, like other fighters. I’m preparing myself not to go down that path.”
Aldo said he plans on retiring by the end of the year, with the bout after UFC 237 serving as the fighter’s retirement encounter.
The former featherweight champion has worked hard for UFC 237 and he believes the gameplan will work on Saturday Night.
“My camp was basically the same. I always look to evolve. I might be quicker and more explosive than in the other fights. It’s a three-round fight, so you can more intense, because it’ll end sooner,” Aldo said. "He’s (Volkanovski) always coming at you, he looks for the fight, he throws his overhand right, that’s one of his strong suits, but it could also be a weakness. We can work with that. I trained a lot, I believe my gameplan and I know it will work.”
UFC 237 takes place on Saturday, May 11 from the Arena Da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil with Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
