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Jose Aldo’s MMA days are behind him, but that doesn’t mean all his grudges are staying in the rear view mirror. The former UFC featherweight champion had a somewhat surprising outburst after fighting Jeremy Stephens to a draw at Gamebred Boxing 4 earlier this month. The target of his tirade? UFC superstar Conor McGregor.
Asked about a Tweet from Conor McGregor at the post-fight presser for his match—where the SBG Ireland talent suggested he and Aldo should rematch their famous UFC 194 title fight—the Brazilian was quick to lash out at the former two-division champion. Aldo said that McGregor was an “asshole” and a “son of a bitch” and claimed that the ‘Notorious’ was just looking to sell himself, since he already had a UFC bout in the works against Michael Chandler.
Jose Aldo apologetic after outburst
Given a little time to let his temper cool, however, and it seems Aldo now feels that he owes Conor McGregor an apology. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Trocacao Franca podcast, the longtime Nova Uniao standout claimed he misread the situation and now believes that McGregor had intended to build him up rather than tear him down.
“I was a little heated,” Aldo explained (transcript via FanSided). “I had just re-watched the match in the locker room and I had won, everybody said it, and right after that a reporter asked me [about McGregor’s comments], and I hadn’t seen what Conor had said. I called him names, laughed a lot, because of that. But when I got to Brazil, I messaged him apologizing because I saw it wasn’t his intention to challenge me, he was trying to give me a push. I misunderstood [his intentions]. But we’re cool again. Conor is my friend. I wish him all the best.”
“I have to learn a lot in boxing,” he continued, adding that he’d love the opportunity to train with Conor McGregor. “There are some great Irish boxers, so if I have the opportunity to go to Ireland and train with Conor and the Irish, I’m super open to it. Especially pro boxing. It’s a new world, and I have to learn from the best. Conor has good boxing, he fought Mayweather in boxing, so he has a lot to teach me.”
Conor McGregor expected to return to the UFC in 2023
As far as Aldo’s initial read on the situation goes, Conor McGregor definitely should be busy with UFC business for the foreseeable future. The 34-year-old Dublin native has spent most of the last two years sitting in the sidelines, largely in the service of rehabbing an injury suffered against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. McGregor suffered a broken leg in that fight, the seeming result of a checked kick (a point McGregor has strongly disputed).
In the time since that bout, McGregor officially tendered the UFC with his retirement, so that he could leave the promotion’s drug testing pool during his rehabilitation. That decision has now come with a fair degree of controversy.
Fresh off the filming of the latest season of the Ultimate Fighter, coaching against a team of athletes headed by former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, the UFC’s plan was to have Conor McGregor and Chandler fight later this year. However, with summer fast approaching, USADA’s regulations stipulate that a fighter should not only pass two drug tests after returning to their testing pool, but also serve a six-month period of inactivity before returning to competition.
It’s that second clause that’s been the source of hesitation for McGregor. The fighter has openly balked at the idea of going through the extended testing window, telling fans on social media that “USADA is going in the bin.” The kicker in all this is that the UFC can bypass USADA rules at their own discretion. It just may be that this is another one of those times that McGregor will find himself on the receiving end of special treatment that other athletes wouldn’t get.
As for Aldo, no telling at the moment what’s in store for the ‘King of Rio’. With his latest boxing escapade behind him, the 36-year-old currently doesn’t seem to have another fight in the works.
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