Jose Aldo puzzled the audience at UFC Fight Night 183 when he stepped into the octagon with what looked to be a newly inked tattoo on his chest.
By the time the end of the fight had arrived and Aldo (29-7 MMA, 11-6 UFC) had earned a unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera in their bantamweight co-headliner at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, though, it was gone.
The temporary tattoo was a logo for a special forces unit in the Brazil Navy, where Aldo has done some boxing training in the past. He wanted to honor them with the patch.
The move by Aldo raised some questions about whether Aldo coming in with unapproved body art would be in violation of the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance policy. He said it wasn’t his intention to be sneaky, though, and apologized if the surprising temporary tattoo caused unintended issues.
“The truth, I didn’t know if I needed permission because it’s the Navy Seals, and I put it there in the hotel before I came here, and I warmed up for three hours without a shirt,” Aldo told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter post-fight at UFC Fight Night 183. “Nobody told me anything. I don’t think it’s a problem because it doesn’t have any sponsor information. If I caused any problems, I apologize.”
The win for Aldo against Vera snapped his three-fight losing skid in UFC competition. It was the former longtime UFC featherweight champion’s first win at 135 pounds, and afterward he took aim at ex-divisional kingpin T.J. Dillashaw as his suspension nears its expiration in January.
