John Kavanagh says Conor McGregor 'would love to see' Jose Aldo capture the UFC bantamweight title
Conor McGregor's coach John Kavanagh has expressed his opinion on Jose Aldo still competing at the highest level.
Kavanagh commended the Brazilian for keeping up with the elite fighters in the bantamweight division and putting on great performances consistently.
SBG Ireland's head coach also spoke about UFC 194 when Conor McGregor finished Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to win the featherweight title. Kavanagh also revealed McGregor's respect towards Aldo and stated the Irishman's desire to see the Brazilian capture the bantamweight belt.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Kavanagh stated:
"Look at what Aldo has done. He came back, completely reinvigorated at 135 [pounds], and he's looking world class and he's looking like a champion beater and if he gets that Dillashaw fight, we'll really see just how far he has come since then and I'm sure Conor would love to see it and I certainly would love to see his hand raised and have that belt at 135."
Jose Aldo defeated Rob Font at the recently concluded UFC Vegas 44. Aldo extended his winning streak to three fights in the bantamweight division and called out T.J. Dillashaw in his post-fight interview.
Jose Aldo put on a supreme display of striking skill and distance control, punishing Rob Font for 25 minutes. The former featherweight champion knocked down Font numerous times and eventually won the bout via unanimous decision.
John Kavanagh recalls watching tapes of Jose Aldo before the Brazilian faced Conor McGregor at UFC 194
John Kavanagh has revealed that he studied Jose Aldo extensively leading up to his fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 194. Kavanagh stated that he was very worried about Aldo's kicks and takedown defense, however, the fight went completely different than what he anticipated.
McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo in the first striking exchange of their fight. The knockout finish is still the fastest finish in a title fight in UFC history at 13 seconds.
Kavanagh spoke in retrospect about the massive event, saying:
"Leading up to the fight [UFC 194], I had many sleepless nights looking at [Aldo's ] leg kicks and his takedown defense, his speed and his technique and his experience and I somewhat regretted how the fight went because I would have loved to see the clash of styles and more exchanges but it went how it went..."
Watch the full interview below: