It might be hard to remember now, but once upon a time Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor were fierce rivals. The two-year lead-up to their championship fight was vicious, a seemingly endless circus of press conferences and bilingual trash talk. There were few kind words exchanged prior to the bout. Famously, Conor knocked Jose out cold in only thirteen seconds of the first round, winning the title and ending Aldo’s unparalleled time at the top of the featherweight division.
Jose Aldo since moved down to bantamweight, and recently expressed his support for Conor McGregor. Speaking with Ag.fight, he discussed McGregor’s injury and his approach to MMA as a whole.
Jose Aldo’s Surprising Support for his Former Rival
“First of all, I’m upset with the injury. It’s quite hard, we work with our body, we try to keep it healthy because that way we can always be working.
I think he can [return to a high level of competition]. I never doubt the champions, the mind and willpower of the champions.
He has dominated before and was the lightweight and featherweight champion. It’s all up to him. If he wants to come back at a high level, he can do it.”
Although Conor won’t be appearing in the Octagon for at least a year, the precise timetable for a return is unknown. The lightweight division changed immensely in McGregor’s initial absence, following his victory over Eddie Alvarez, and it looked to all observers that the division, if not the UFC as a whole, had moved on.
With a year’s absence from training and serious recovery from a debilitating injury, who knows what the UFC landscape will look like by the time Conor McGregor can actually fight again. There may be a new champion, new contenders, and new rivalries in the division, and the idea of McGregor running it back against fighters he’s already faced is nowhere near as exciting a prospect as it may have been when he was actually winning.
However, Aldo’s praise for his former rival didn’t end there. “The fight was going well especially because Conor forgot [his promotional] side and tried to be the fighter and win until that leg situation happened.
But, man, I think it’s up to him. If he wants to come back again, he will work hard, abdicate from certain things to get there, dedicate himself and go back to the winning path.”
Do you think McGregor can come back from this injury? Would you want to see Aldo v McGregor 2? Let us know in the comments.
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