Either Jose Aldo believes Conor McGregor was taking banned substances before UFC 196, or he thinks the featherweight champion was just a fiend for the Tropicana.
When Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of UFC 196’s main event with injury, Aldo was one of the fighters who was offered a spot in the man event against the Notorious.
‘Scarface’ had been campaigning for a chance to avenge his 13-second demolition at the heavy hands of McGregor that saw him lose his belt. He claimed in a media scrum in Brazil, transcribed by MMA Fighting, that one of the reasons why he turned down his Red Panty Night offer at UFC 196 was because he suspected ‘The Notorious’ of juicing.
“The fight was not at featherweight. Why would I rematch him in a different weight class with no belt?” Aldo said.
“Now, to make this fight at 155, where he was full of juice in his body, where he hides and nobody tests him, only when he gets to Las Vegas, a week before the fight, and then it’s way easier for you to clean the body and fight.”
Aldo explained his team had been contacting the UFC for over a month looking for a rematch without receiving a reply. However, judging by his comments, he wasn’t expecting for his shot to come so soon as when Dana White finally tasked him if he was ready, Aldo was still under medical suspension.
“We called and texted him every day (asking for the rematch) and nothing. There was no talk for a month.”
“I waited for a call from Dana (White) for three weeks, and when he texted ‘Dede’ (coach Andre Pederneiras) I was doing a charity soccer match in Manaus, and he talked about replacing Rafael. He knew I wasn’t training because I was coming back from (medical) suspension.”
Aldo believes the UFC had always planned to use Nate Diaz as a replacement. He felt a little helpless when it came to negotiating a second fight with McGregor and felt the way the UFC handled the whole situation was a bit odd.
“They already had in mind who to put against Conor. That’s the path they try to follow, and it’s kind of dirty to me,” he said.
“There’s no negotiation. We ask, and not always we get a response. When they respond is like that, and then they say they love us. It’s a bit weird. But what can I do?”
Diaz, of course, ended up submitting McGregor in the second round and their rematch is set to headline UFC 200. Meanwhile, Aldo takes on Frankie Edgar for the interim featherweight title on the same card.
