Everyone wants to see Conor McGregor fight everybody, but they only want to see him fight one guy again.
That guy isn’t Joseph Duffy (although, that would be awesome), it certainly isn’t Artemij Sitenkov (who the fook is that guy?) and it’s 100% not the guy he floored in 13-seconds.
Currently, the only rematch that seems like an enticing option for business man McGregor is that trilogy fight with Nate Diaz. The score is tied at one apiece and that’s where the money is, so it only makes sense that this rematch would be top of McGregor’s list of priorities should he return to the Octagon after pursuing that Floyd Mayweather megafight.
Shortly after being demolished at UFC 194, ‘The Notorious’ promised Jose Aldo that they would slug it out again. Even though he’s now the undisputed featherweight king and bounced back from that devastating loss with one of his greatest performances ever at UFC 200, Aldo’s no fool.
He knows who holds the power.
Cast your minds back to the MGM Grand Garden December 12, 2015. The dethroned king’s head slumped towards Earth, his eyes glued to the canvas, nose busted, dazed, but clearly focusing on how he ended up living through such a nightmare.
Just before the Dubliner was about to have his hand raised and get that coveted golden strap wrapped around his waist, he leaned over and promised the man he had been psychologically torturing for what seemed like eons that they would go at it again.
A promise is a promise, but how Aldo dealt with not being granted a shot at retribution reduced him to a laughing stock. He requested a contract termination, threatened legal action and even hinted that he would be willing to intentionally lose fights to see out the end of his contract.
Fortunately, as he’s making those final preparations before his title unification fight against Max Holloway in UFC 212’s main event, the Brazilian appears to be over it. At the UFC 212 media conference call he was finally ready to admit that getting the opportunity to fight McGregor again will probably never present itself now.
“Everybody still asks me if I want or if I don’t want (to fight him again). That’s not up to me. That’s up to the UFC, and we know it will never happen. I don’t even know if he will come back to fight. The UFC tried to do a (second) fight and he didn’t want it, didn’t accept it, because what happened will never happen again.”
“I couldn’t care less what Conor does or doesn’t do. I’m a UFC fighter and I’m the best featherweight. I have to focus on training and evolving to defend my belt.”
Having that belt back has worked wonders for his mindset and his dignity. That scrap in his hometown on June 3 should be an absolute doozy.
