Jose Aldo’s gotten chatty, hasn’t he?
Fight fans who followed the sport prior to McGregor-mania will remember the old Aldo as a famously quiet, inoffensive fighter whose press conferences seldom resulted in any information other than the news that his training camp was going well and that God was going to help him get past his next opponent.
But after sharing an incredible world tour with Conor McGregor, being defeated by the mouthy Irishman and witnessing how well ‘The Notorious’ has done with his matchless ability on the microphone, Aldo has turned over a new, loud leaf.
After being promoted to featherweight champion from its interim iteration last week, Aldo is back to his drum-banging ways as he aims to avenge his embarrassing 13-second defeat to McGregor almost a year ago.
“I was always the champion and will always be as long as I’m in the featherweight division,” Aldo said in an interview with Brazilian TV show Planeta SporTV, as transcribed by MMA Fighting. “No matter what happens, I will always be the champion.
“I had no doubt about it. The moment I lost, I knew the belt would be mine. It was a matter of time. It’s not the way I wanted, but I’m happy because I know I’m the champion.”
It was a bizarre title shake-up, rather than a fight, that resulted in Aldo’s promotion to undisputed featherweight champion as he benefited from the decision to put the interim 145lbs title on the line in UFC 206’s new main event which will be contested by Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway.
Aldo, who was the interim champion just last week, was thus bumped up and McGregor saw his featherweight title taken away in the process.
“That was a fact I knew would happen, that he would drop a belt, my belt or the lightweight,” Aldo said. “It’s a tough fight for him at lightweight, with Khabib [Nurmagomedov], or a rematch with me, so he preferred to drop mine. No problem.”
Those arguing against the decision to strip McGregor and promote Aldo make the point that a fighter who was brutally stopped last year shouldn’t be able to get his belt back without fighting for it.
While those in favour of the decision point to the fact that, if McGregor was to opt to extend his hiatus from the sport to next winter then the featherweight title would go undefended for two years.
And the lack of a defence at 145lbs has also prompted Aldo to accuse his Irish foe of being “a pussy.”
“I knew that would happen,” Aldo told UFC.com. “To me, I never stopped being champion. I lost that fight because of an accident. I knew that I would win a rematch, that I would be champion again.
“It’s not my fault that he’s such a pussy he was never the champion. I don’t see myself losing to anyone in this division or any other [division].”
‘The Notorious’ won’t be seen until next summer at the earliest, as he prepares for the arrival of his firstborn child, but Aldo is already mapping his route back to a grudge match with McGregor.
And the Brazilian has suggested that the sequel could even take place at 155lbs.
“First, I want to defend my title, and then go after a fight with him [at lightweight],” Aldo added. “Just like Dana said, we can choose who we want to fight, so I want to fight him. That’s what will happen.”
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