Jose Aldo: McGregor was ‘full of juice in his body’ at UFC 196

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is still not happy that the UFC decided to put Conor McGregor in a welterweight rematch against Nate Diaz at July’s UFC 200 event.

Aldo, who had been campaigning for a rematch with McGregor after suffering a shocking 13-second defeat to the Irishman in December, will now rematch Frankie Edgar for the UFC’s interim featherweight title on July 9.

Aldo had been offered to step in on short-notice to fight McGregor at UFC 196 when Rafael dos Anjos pulled out with an injury. However, the former champ opted against taking the fight and gave his explanation as to why in a recent interview with MMAFighting:

“The fight was not at featherweight. Why would I rematch him in a different weight class with no belt?” Aldo said in a media scrum at the Arnold Classic in Brazil. “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. They offered the fight knowing that I wasn’t trained at all. I can’t say anything. I can train, beat Frankie Edgar and then know that I’ve earned my fight for the title again.

“We called and texted him every day (asking for the rematch) and nothing,” he continued. “There was no talk for a month. I waited for a call from Dana (White) for three weeks, and when he texted ‘Dede’ (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. 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. 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?”

Jose Aldo will meet Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 on July 9 in Las Vegas for the interim UFC featherweight title.

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