"It was always rumors of him retiring," Aspinall said on "The Diary Of A CEO" podcast. "He's putting stuff out in the media saying that he's retiring because MMA, especially at an elite level, is quiet. You hear rumors a lot. I heard rumors from people close to him that he's going to retire and that he's not living like an athlete."

Aldo moved down a weight class and fought for the UFC bantamweight title in 2020 in an unsuccessful attempt to become a two-weight champion. The former WEC king retired from MMA after his loss to Aiemann Zahabi last May, having dabbled in boxing.

When UFC CEO Dana White abruptly revealed Jon Jones’ retirement during a press conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, many UFC fans and media have expressed disappointment that Jones’ career ended without a unification bout against Aspinall,