"If Jose could have found a way to drown out the mental torture that Conor sent his way..." - Fans debate whether Jose Aldo would have beaten Conor McGregor in a rematch
Following Jose Aldo's retirement from MMA last month, his dream rematch against Conor McGregor has yet again risen as a hot-button topic in the MMA community.
McGregor famously beat Aldo via KO in just 13 seconds to become the undisputed UFC featherweight champion at UFC 194 in December 2015. Following that, both fighters never crossed paths again.
In a post put forth by the @thefightbubble Instagram account, fans have provided contrasting viewpoints regarding a hypothetical McGregor-Aldo rematch. Some fans suggested that McGregor, in his prime, was mentally unbeatable. One fan hailed 'The Notorious' for utilizing the greatest mental warfare they've ever seen against Aldo:
"Conor easily, he played the greatest mental warfare I’ve ever seen"
Additionally, some fans agreed with the hypothesis that Aldo could've been in the best mental condition but would've still lost to McGregor because the latter was a bad stylistic matchup for him. A fan wrote:
"Jose could be the best mental condition he’s ever been in, but he would’ve never beaten that Conor. There’s a lot that goes into that in and out movement style and jose wouldn’t have countered it"
Some fans also opined that an immediate rematch would've favored McGregor whereas a fight down the line could've seen Aldo emerge victorious. One fan insinuated that Aldo could've beaten McGregor if he'd drowned out the Irishman's mental warfare:
"If Jose could have found a way to drown out the mental torture that Conor sent his way, Aldo anyday. If not, Conor would have done the same thing, just maybe not in 13 seconds again"
Moreover, one Instagram user asserted that Aldo would've defeated McGregor in 12 seconds in a rematch. Meanwhile, another user stated that Aldo didn't deserve a rematch:
"No rematch required.. got slept in seconds, accept clean losses & move on!"
Is a welterweight return on the cards for Conor McGregor?
While former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has retired from MMA, his archnemesis Conor McGregor has vowed to once again rise to the top of the food chain.
Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury in his lightweight matchup against Dustin Poirier last July.
190lbs of granite. @McGregorFast https://t.co/k8HeRZaKRg
The consensus is that Conor McGregor's injury hiatus is likely to end no sooner than February/March 2023. Moreover, many believe that McGregor -- who's bulked up over the past several months -- won't compete at lightweight next.
Conor McGregor is said to be targeting a return to the welterweight division when he makes his highly-anticipated return in 2023. That said, it remains unclear as to whom he'll face in his comeback fight.