A movie, Mais Forte Que o Mundo: A História de José Aldo, is being made in Brazil about Jose Aldo’s life and rise to stardom. Aldo is played by Brazilian actor José Loreto. It is expected to have a 2016 release. This is the trailer.
It tells the story of Aldo’s rise from extreme poverty and domestic violence at home, and his journey from The Amazon to Rio de Janeiro, where he was so poor he couldn’t afford food. Aldo first studied Capoeira, and then Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and then MMA under the tutelage of the great Andre Pederneiras, who opened up to the less privileged what had formerly been an upper class pursuit.
Aldo the UFC’s first featherweight champion and remained undefeated for a decade, before being toppled by Conor McGregor.
Bruce Buffer makes a cameo and the UFC figures prominently. This is only the second time, after The Big Boom, that the UFC logo and Octagon has appeared prominently in a movie. A profile back in May of the production on FightLand reported that the UFC is an investor in the film.
In 2011, it was announced that a film about the trials and tribulations that have landed José Aldo where he currently stands was being written, and that it would be ready some time in 2012.
The film, which comes under the direction of Afonso Poyart, has finally entered production, and the cast has been defined. Filming begins next month, and the film has secured distribution from Brazilian company Paris Filmes. Actor Malvino Salvador was originally going to play Aldo, but José Loreto, a 30-year-old Rio native famous for his performances in popular Brazilian soaps, has replaced him. Brazilian beauty Cléo Pires comes in as Aldo’s wife, Vivianne—a person forever fundamental in the undisputed featherweight champion’s journey, going as far back as his humble mixed martial arts beginnings.
Sandi Adamiu, executive at Paris Filmes, reveals that the Ultimate Fighting Championship is an investor in the film, allowing the producers to utilize the brand to further the film: The film is in pre-production and we begin shooting next month. We estimate the release to happen in January or February of next year. The director is Afonso Poyart, and it’s a film with the UFC as an investor, so we can use the brand to further tell the story of Aldo. It’s the story of an underdog, and a story of love. So we expect a large audience.”
It looks epic, regardless of how good your Portuguese is.
