Aldo with belt, in photo published in "Trip" magazine

UFC champion José Aldo made the cover of Brazil’s popular “Trip” magazine, and the article is already on  the publication’s website.

Besides interesting photos, the article by Caio Ferretti looks back on the featherweight star’s first steps in Jiu-Jitsu, on the outskirts of Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas.

“(…) At 14 he liked practicing capoeira flips on the street where he used to live, on the outskirts of Manaus. He thus drew the attention of some people. ‘There was one guy who always asked me to do some move, some flips. One day he told me he was a Jiu-Jitsu teacher and invited me to get to know his academy.’ Junior accepted the invitation, but for a peculiar reason (…)

“’I used to practice the capoeira tricks on hard asphalt, and at the gym the floors were soft. It was a lot better to do flips on.’ Initially drawn to the comfort of the mats, as time went by he became more drawn to Jiu-Jitsu. When he got his first gi he abandoned capoeira once and for all.”