THE KING OF RIO

Jose Aldo

November 19, 2010 - Detroit, Michigan

Jose Aldo's legacy is rich with championships. He he was the WEC champ and defended the title 3 times. He reigned with the UFC featherweight belt through a record 7 title defenses along with multiple ESPN, Fight of the Year, Most Title Fights and Defense awards. For the man known as the King of Rio, a notable accomplishment was that he made moments in the octagon, come alive for fans and fellow fighters.

I traveled to the frozen city called Detroit, Michigan to photograph Jose, and he was mostly silent until the end. He didn’t like the blistering cold outside and neither did I so that put him in a mood, where he was completely focused on getting this shoot over with.

I gave him a lot of direction as I was shooting and there came a moment when he seemed to settle into the understanding, that I was trying to immortalize him with the perfect portrait.  I asked him about his shoulder tattoo and he gave me this stare, like he was looking through my lens. I snapped this portrait as he said in Portuguese..

“The tattooed skulls represent the number of opponents I’ve won against in fights and I will keep collecting them as I continue to  beat my opponents.”

It was a stare that was as cold as it was outside.

This is a Limited Edition Giclée on cotton fiber paper. /  Edition Size is limited to 72 pieces.

The image Size is "16x20" / Approximate framed size “24 x 28”

Artwork will be signed by photographer Eric Williams.