Jose Aldo has come from obscurity and risen to the top of the WEC Featherweight division as its newest champion. However, his work does not stop there as he will have the toughest fight of his career on April 24th, against former champion Urijah “California Kid” Faber.

Winning Fighter of the Year honors in 2009 and having his six fights in the WEC end in a knockout puts Aldo in a class of fighters that are deemed unstoppable. However, Urijah Faber is no walk in the park having defended the Featherweight title an astounding six times before losing it to Aldo’s latest conquest Mike Brown.

Jose Aldo knows what’s at stake and is ready to give it everything he has.

jose aldo on mma and fighting

AskMen (AM): What made you want to get into the sport of fighting?

Jose Aldo (JA): I was a fan of jujitsu, so that pretty much got me started in fighting. I won a lot of local competitions when I was young and eventually won a ticket to go compete in Rio de Janeiro. In Rio I struggled a lot in the beginning, living in the gym and not having much to eat, but eventually I joined the Nova Uniao Team and really improved my skills.

AM: Who has had the biggest influence on you in your career?

JA: Pedro Rizzo was always my inspiration -- the way he is as a person and as a fighter really influenced who I am today.

AM: Do you follow any other sports outside of combat sports?

JA: I love sports -- I am a die-hard fan of soccer, and I am always at Maracana Stadium in Rio watching Flamengo play. I am also a big fan of basketball; I stay up at night to watch Lebron James play whenever I can.

jose aldo on urijah faber

AM: Have you done anything differently in your training in preparation for Faber?

JA: My training is more or less the same: I train a lot of jujitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, and basically any situation that could happen against Faber. The main difference in my training habits is that we added an extra two rounds to our sessions, to prepare for a five-round fight.

AM: In what areas do you think you have advantages over Faber?

JA: I believe my speed will be a problem for Faber, and my team has created a good game plan for this fight that will surprise him.

AM: You are undefeated in the WEC and are now making your first title defense -- does that add pressure on you to come out of this with a win?

JA: I don’t look at it that way. My next fight is always the most important fight, so regardless if I’m fighting for the title or not, I always have to go in there and give everything that I’ve got.

AM: Without giving away your game plan, take us through your workout. What does a week with Jose Aldo consist of when training for a fight?

JA: I train hard everyday, practically three times a day, and my training consists of Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, jujitsu, and strength and conditioning, so I spend most of my days at the gym training.

AM: How long a break would you take between fights before getting back to your training?

JA: It depends on a lot of things, but I have been fighting constantly in the WEC and haven’t been taking much damage thankfully. I like this rhythm, it keeps me going strong and as long as I remain healthy then I’ll keep training.

AM: Do you have any tips for our readers on how to maximize their training?

JA: Keep training harder and always challenge yourself.

AM: What advice would you have for someone who wants to get into competitive MMA?

JA: Train hard and try new things; everything you do outside of the cage counts as experience inside the cage.

AM: What kind of diet are you on when training for a fight?

JA: I watch my diet and I eat right, but I am not on a strict diet. However, after spending some time in California, I have been eating a lot of avocados.

AM: Is there anything that you would like to say in closing?

JA: I want to thank all my fans, sponsors and all of the people that believe in me. Be sure to watch a great fight between myself and Urijah Faber on April 24th.