The movie of Jose Aldo’s life up to winning the UFC featherweight championship premiered Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro. “Mais Forte Que o Mundo” (“Stronger Than The World”) is only the second time, after The Big Boom, that the UFC logo and Octagon has appeared prominently in a film, so the UFC’s partner in Brazil, media giant Globo, is presumably involved at a high level.
The film focuses on the relationship between Aldo and his father, a wife-beating alcoholic, who ultimately drove his children away. In Aldo’s case, he was driven to the mats of Nova Uniao, the first major BJJ academy to open up the sport to the poor.
Aldo spoke with the press afterwards, and said it is impossible not to cry after watching it.
“I have to thank [director] Afonso Poyart and the whole crew for telling my story in theaters and making me very emotional,” said Aldo, as translated by Guilherme Cruz for MMA Fighting. “It’s amazing. I think that, being a fight fan or not, this movie will move you because it’s an emotional story. The first time I watched it I was so excited about my story being told in a movie that I didn’t actually pay attention [laughs]. The second time I watched it, I really paid attention to the story. To look back at the past… It was hard for me, but I overcame everything I went through.”
“It’s impossible not to cry. A MMA fan or not, it’s a beautiful movie. It’s my movie so I thought it was wonderful [laughs]. My relationship with my father, a hero and a villain, is really beautiful in the movie.”
The film ends with Aldo beating Mark Hominick in front of 55,000 fans in Canada at UFC 129 in 2011. But a lot has happened since, including Conor McGregor. So this Aldo pic may not be the last.
“There’s a huge story to be told in the future,” Aldo said. “Just like in the Rocky movie, they had a lot of movies. If that happens to me, brother… I think that getting my belt back, this story would be awesome. It would be a great story with me beating up [McGregor] and getting the belt back. My focus is on the belt now. As soon as I get the belt back, defeating Frankie Edgar, I will think what’s next. We do have unfinished business.”
Jose Aldo fights Frankie Edgar for the UFC interim featherweight championship at UFC 200 on July 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
