Current UFC interim featherweight champion Jose Aldo has come to a point in his career where he is simply fed up.

The Brazilian champion recently stated that he wants to be released from his UFC contract to pursue new opportunities outside the world of mixed martial arts.

Tap.Nap.Snap caught up with Aldo last week and the product of Nova Uniao elaborated on his displeasure for the way he has been treated in the sport of MMA and the direction the sport is going.

“I hear a lot of people say the reason I don’t call the shots and that I’m not happy with my income is that I don’t sell fights,” Aldo said in the post from Tap.Nap.Snap. “People have said that to me and they’ve said it about me. I’ve heard people say, ‘Jose needs to be a better marketer; he needs to sell his fights more.’ But that’s not the philosophy I was raised with. My coach is a martial artist. I’m a martial artist. What we do starts with respect.

“Where the sport is going is not respectful. The people who are selling fights are people who are giving each other the middle finger, throwing objects at press conferences, getting caught snorting cocaine and making headlines for all kinds of wrong reasons. What I was taught and what I believe in is, I do my best inside the cage. I believe people want to watch me for my ability as an athlete. … If the direction the sport is going is you’ve got to make headlines for the wrong reasons in order to be worthy of respect and in order to be worthy of the right income, it’s not something I’ll ever be on board with.”

With the recent UFC 202 press conference shenanigans that went down that had Team Conor McGregor vs. Team Nate Diaz in a water bottle war as well as some high-profile UFC fighters testing positive for drugs, it is obvious as to what Aldo is referring to.

UFC President Dana White feels that Aldo’s request to be released from his UFC contract is more of a temporary and emotional outburst. However, Jose Aldo at this point still seems to be sounding like his days as a mixed martial arts fighter are behind him.

What are your thoughts on what Jose Aldo has to say regarding the direction of the sport of MMA? Sound off in the comment section!