With just under three months until Jose Aldo finally squares off with Conor McGregor at UFC 194 on December 12th, the two featherweight rivals have re-engaged in a war of words.
Jose Aldo was originally scheduled to defend his 145 lbs. strap against the Irishman at UFC 189 but pulled out of the bout citing a rib injury. McGregor and Aldo travelled the world on a trash-talking voyage for the UFC’s promotional world tour in March, and things picked up right where they left off at the recent “Go Big” press conference earlier this month.
The two featherweights almost came to blows during the staredown, and now, Jose Aldo’s coach Andre Pederneiras is playing his role in ramping up publicity for the bout. The Brazilain spoke to the UFC in Rio de Janeiro yesterday.
“Aldo has a great attitude. During the fight, what (McGregor) said will make no difference. He will hit McGregor anywhere he can – and with a lot of desire. The only fighter who I remember provoking Aldo was Manvel Gamburyan, who spent the fight week trying to intimidate him (in the defunct WEC, in 2010),” Pederneiras recalled. “Aldo will get in the Octagon, show everything that we trained and leave as a winner.”
Prior to the Go Big conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, McGregor and Aldo came to face to face on the set of The Ultimate Fighter in August, and Pederneiras believes ‘The Notorious’ was less aggressive than usual.
“What happens to McGregor matters very little,” Pederneiras said. “If he was expecting a Cinderella dream when he had the belt, maybe he noticed this is the real world, and a beating will happen on the day the fights happens. That’s it.”
Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor will headline UFC 194 as a featherweight title unification bout on December 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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