As a way of shutting up rumours of his imminent retirement from MMA, former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has put the pen to paper for a long term deal with the UFC.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that the Brazilian has recently signed a new contract that will keep him with the UFC beyond 2019. UFC president Dana White reportedly told ESPN’s Okamoto about the 32-year-old new deal.

Aldo’s head trainer Andre Pederneiras also confirmed the news of the contract renewal of the Manaus-born puncher, saying the new deal will run for eight fights.

The new deal is set to start on a good note as the (arguably) greatest featherweight in the history of mixed martial arts could be slugging it out in UFC 237 bout with Alexander Volkanovski.

Jose Aldo’s record

Aldo, a long-time featherweight champion has won 28 and lost 5 of his 33 bouts with a 10-4 overall record in the UFC. He is a two-time featherweight champion in the Octagon, occupying the No 1 spot in world’s featherweight ranking from 2009 up till 2015.

He lost his featherweight title by KO to British ferocious hitter Conor McGregor at UFC 194, but has since gone ahead with 3-3, recording three wins over Frankie Edgar, Renato Moicano and Jeremy Stephens.

However, he suffered three defeats in the hands of Max Holloway and Volkanovski, losing with two TKOs to Holloway and a decision loss to Volkanovski in his last fight.

Meanwhile, despite the loss to Volkanovski, Aldo still remains strong and active with no sign of retiring any time soon the UFC. In fact, he was previously reported to be considering a career in boxing and soccer in the future.

“I had already planned to stop when I was 30 years old and begin something else,” Aldo told ESPN in January. “I’m at a point where I have to make a decision, and nothing is going to change my mind. Martial arts is always going to be a part of my life, but everything has a beginning, a middle and an end. And I see this coming to an end.”

 The new deal sets Aldo in a good stead for a long-time participation in the promotion’s roster for the foreseeable future. Although he has no match-up yet, Aldo would not be resisting any bout against the top 10 fighters in the UC ranking. No doubt, he remains one of the best in the world.

At 145lbs, the Rio de Janeiro-based fighter could welcome a fight against Zabit Magomedsharipov, Yair Rodriguez or perhaps a rematch with “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.