Jose Aldo insists he now holds a lot of 'affection' for Conor McGregor, despite their intense feud more than a decade ago. The former featherweight champion engaged in a heated rivalry with the Irishman in 2015, spending months promoting their clash at UFC 194 in December of that year. McGregor and Aldo traded verbal jabs on multiple occasions, largely instigated by the Irishman, before settling their differences in the cage.
McGregor's 13-Second Knockout Victory
After all the talk and hype, McGregor shocked the world by becoming the first fighter in 10 years to defeat Aldo, scoring a famous 13-second knockout to win the featherweight title. In the years that followed, Aldo remained at featherweight before eventually moving down to bantamweight. The 39-year-old retired last year after a defeat to Aiemann Zahabi. McGregor, meanwhile, moved up to lightweight and became the first simultaneous two-division champion by knocking out Eddie Alvarez in 2016.
Aldo's Change of Heart
Speaking to Covers.com, Aldo explained his current feelings: "From my side, I've never had a rivalry with anyone. I've always been a calm person and I understood my role as a fighter. Back then, we did what needed to be done to promote the fight and sell the event. But once the fight is over, that story ends there." He added, "With almost every opponent I've ever faced, I still have a good relationship today. A rematch and a new chapter might happen one day, but the past stays in the past. I think time and experience help you understand that. Everyone was defending their own interests and trying to do what's best for their career and their family."
Aldo continued: "Today I have a lot of respect and affection for him, especially because of the path he's trying to follow. Whenever I get the opportunity, I send him positive messages. I don't hold any resentment or bitterness towards anyone from the UFC or anywhere else. To be honest, I feel privileged to have been part of all of it. A lot of people don't understand that this phase eventually ends. Fighters think it's going to last forever, but it doesn't. I always understood my role. I knew what I had to do to reach the top, become a dominant champion and leave my name among the greatest in the history of the sport. That's why people still remember my name today."
Potential Rematch Ruled Out
McGregor is set to return to the octagon for the first time in five years this weekend, facing Max Holloway in a welterweight clash at UFC 329. The Irishman has not fought since breaking his leg in a first-round defeat to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021. Aldo weighed in on a potential rematch: "How would an MMA fight go between us today? I haven't even stepped foot inside a gym for more than a year now. Coming back to MMA isn't even on my mind." He added, "I think our story ended when we fought all those years ago. There wasn't an immediate rematch, and each of us went our own way. Afterwards, I moved down a weight class, while he put on a lot of size and muscle mass. He's a much bigger man now. I still weigh around 72 or 73 kilos. So there are a lot of factors that would make something like that difficult to happen."
