Jorge Masvidal just jumped into the featherweight GOAT argument and picked Jose Aldo before UFC 333 drags the 145-pound legacy debate back under the bright lights. With Alexander Volkanovski set for another title defense after a career that already includes a decision win over Aldo, Gamebred still has the King of Rio sitting on the throne.
Masvidal made the call on Deep Waters, where the panel kicked around Volkanovski’s place in the all-time picture before his next defense. Masvidal did not pretend the topic was easy, but when Aldo’s WEC terror run and UFC title reign came up, he kept it simple.
Watch the full discussion below.
Jorge Masvidal Still Has Jose Aldo On Top
Masvidal called Aldo the standard at 145 pounds even with Volkanovski’s second championship run still active. Aldo’s case is not built on one viral knockout or one magical night. It is built on a long stretch where he looked like a video game boss in the WEC, then carried that dominance into the UFC after the promotion absorbed the division.
“To me, it’s Jose,” Masvidal said on Deep Waters. “I don’t think nobody can surpass Jose. What Jose did at WEC and then what he did in the UFC, those early fights of him at 145, I don’t think nobody can surpass that. He was just too incredible.
He added that he does not see anyone passing what Aldo did across the WEC and UFC.
“Too much of an athlete that understood fighting every single position, could wrestle defensively, offensively, his jiu-jitsu was amazing, his striking. I think the best defensive wrestler ever. … I think Jose is the best ever. I think in his prime, he beats Volk, and he beats Max.”
The argument has real teeth because Volkanovski is not some random challenger trying to borrow shine. He beat Aldo in 2019, swept Max Holloway across their trilogy, lost the featherweight belt to Ilia Topuria, then rebuilt himself by beating Diego Lopes at UFC 314 and again at UFC 325. That is a nasty championship path, and it is why this argument keeps getting dragged back onto the table.
Still, Masvidal’s read leans toward peak-for-peak greatness instead of scorecards from different eras. He said Aldo in his prime would beat both Volkanovski and Holloway, which is exactly the kind of barbershop MMA take that can start a three-hour argument before the prelims even open.
Aldo’s official UFC record includes seven consecutive featherweight title defenses, the longest such run in division history. Holloway owns two stoppage wins over Aldo, while Volkanovski owns a decision over him, but Masvidal’s point is that the version of Aldo who ruled the WEC and early UFC featherweight scene was a different kind of nightmare.
The debate has fresh fuel because Aldo recently weighed in on another major 145-to-155 thread, saying Max Holloway is one step ahead of Conor McGregor before UFC 329. Holloway has also given Aldo that respect in the past, saying Aldo had not been surpassed as the featherweight GOAT even after their two-fight series.
That is the fun part of the 145-pound GOAT mess. Aldo has the reign. Holloway has the volume and two Aldo finishes. Volkanovski has the head-to-head wins and another title chapter still being written. Masvidal just gave Aldo fans a fresh Gamebred clip to throw around before UFC 333.
