Aldo living a dream in the WEC

November 17th, 2009, 6:59 pm · Post a Comment · posted by CARLOS ARIAS

jose_aldo_scar LAS VEGAS --- The Aldo siblings played rough when they were growing up in the Amazon region of Brazil, and WEC featherweight contender Jose Aldo still has the scars to prove it.

Aldo has a scar on his left cheek that runs from the corner of his mouth to his ear courtesy of his older sister, Joseline. Aldo was still a baby in a crib near the family's barbeque when his two older sisters began roughhousing. Joseline picked up the crib, tossed it and baby Aldo's face landed on the barbeque.

"They were playing around and threw me in there," Aldo said. "It was hot. I was a little baby. They were little kids. There was another time when my little sister broke my head. I have all kinds of stories."

Fortunately, Aldo survived his sisters and now he's the one dishing out the punishment. Aldo has developed into one of the to 145-pounders in mixed martial arts. Aldo (15-1) challenges WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown (22-4) at WEC 44 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Versus at The Palms Casino Resort.

aldo_mickle_med "I'm young and I know it takes a lifetime to get a dream like this," Aldo said. "It's a dream come true to fight for the belt. I'm not the champ, yet, but living in these moments is awesome."

Aldo comes from humble origins. His family was poor, but his parents were loving and always provided for him and his three siblings. Aldo has had a job since he was 6 years old when he started working alongside his father, who was a construction worker.

"It was a very poor neighborhood and we had very little money, but I was a happy kid," Aldo said. "I was always working for my dad, helping my dad at work. I had a tough childhood, but I was always a happy kid with a lot of love."

wec41_aldo_vs_swanson_med The last time Aldo got into a fight outside of the world of organized combat sports was as a teenager while playing soccer. Soccer is a religion in Brazil, which has produced some of the greatest soccer players of all-time, and Aldo is an avid soccer player. Some kid on a rival team decided to instigate a fight with Aldo, who was already training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. Aldo ended up picking up a red card for knocking the kid out.

"Soccer in Brazil," Aldo said, "is a dangerous sport."

It was a surreal moment for Aldo when he pulled up to The Palms this past weekend to see a giant billboard of himself and Brown promoting the fight.

"With everything that happened to me back in the days, now it's like a dream come true," said Aldo, who was close to tears while talking about his past. "I can't describe the happiness I'm living right now. The possibility to help my parents, my sisters, the community I live in, it's a dream come true. I can't explain it."

Aldo has made a name for himself as one of the most explosive strikers in MMA. He burst on to the scene, knocking out Alexandre Franca Nogueira in his WEC debut at WEC 34. Aldo has left a string of victims in his week, knocking out all five opponents he has faced in the WEC. He knocked out Cub Swanson with a flying knee in eight seconds in his most recent fight at WEC 41 in June.

Aldo has been so good on his feet he hasn't even had a chance to show off his world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills. Aldo trains with the famed Team Nova Uniao, which translates to New Union. Aldo earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Nova Uniao's Andre Pederneiras, who also awarded UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn his black belt in 2000. Thales Leites, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Wagnney Fabiano and Marlon Sandro are just some of the many world-class fighters Nova Uniao has produced.

"I always want to please my public, my fans, and I want to keep my fights standing," Aldo said. "That's what everybody expects. But, like I said before, I'm a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under master Andre Pederneiras and it's my base. Jiu-Jitsu is my base. So if you think I'm a good striker, you are going to be very impressed with my ground fighting."

RELATED LINKS: