UFC Fortaleza results: Jose Aldo earns thrilling finish of Renato Moicano

The man who defined the featherweight division for years seems determined to finish his career in a final blaze of glory.

Longtime former UFC and WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has vowed this will be the final year of his career, and if that’s the case, it’s going to be a memorable finish.

Aldo showed his vintage killer instinct in finishing Renato Moicano on Saturday night in the co-feature bout of UFC Fortaleza, swarming his opponent and landing strike after strike until the bout was waved off at the 44-second mark of the second round.

It marked the second straight win for the man who reigned as lineal champ from 2009-15.

“I wanted to vary my shots, hit him high and hit him low,” Aldo said through an interpreter. “he was a little taller so I wanted to vary it.”

The opening round was largely a feeling-out process, as Aldo occasionally threw his patented leg kicks. Moicano is a submission artist, but he didn’t dare wade in on his opponent. Toward the end of the round, it was clear Aldo was getting comfortable and finding his range.

Aldo left no doubt in the second round, as he came out with reckless abandon and started landing vicious shots to the head and to the body. Moicano tried to escape, but it was to no avail. A particularly nasty right uppercut to the jaw was the biggest blow as Aldo started landing uncontested shots until the bout was finally waved off.

He then pulled another vintage move by running into the crowd to celebrate with his Brazilian fans, a maneuver he’s performed a number of times in his career.

“No one believed me, but I knew you would be by my side and the victory would be ours,” Aldo said.

Aldo is now 28-4 with his 18th career finish. Moicano (13-2-1) had a two-fight win streak snapped.