"It was a way of trying to show love for me and my family" - Jose Aldo reveals Conor McGregor sent him a gift after his 2016 win over Frankie Edgar
Jose Aldo has revealed that Conor McGregor sent him a gift following the Brazilian's UFC 200 win over Frankie Edgar.
Aldo and McGregor were involved in a heated rivalry ahead of their UFC 194 featherweight championship showdown. 'Junior' dropped the belt after suffering a 13-second knockout to 'Notorious', the shortest duration ever for a UFC title fight.
Since then, Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor have developed a better relationship. Speaking to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz on the Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca, Aldo said the gift was a nice gesture from his former adversary.
"When I fought Frankie Edgar and won the title again, (McGregor and I) were staying at the same hotel, side by side. He saw me, and even sent a gift congratulating me for the belt I had just won. That was intimate, brother. He knows that, he sent it to my room. I see no problem with that. It was a way of trying to show love for me and my family. It was really intimate. It was nice, it was nice. I don’t know what his intentions were, right? But it was nice," quipped Aldo.
Listen to Jose Aldo in conversation with Guilherme Cruz below:
Aldo, 35, now fights in the UFC bantamweight division. After suffering losses in his opening fights in that weight class against Marlon Moraes and Petr Yan, he has consecutive triumphs over Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz.
Jose Aldo is scheduled to face Rob Font at UFC Vegas 44 in December
No.5 bantamweight contender Jose Aldo will take on No.4-ranked Rob Font at UFC Vegas 44 in Nevada on December 4.
Aldo previously fought for the bantamweight title vacated by Henry Cejudo. 'Junior' lost to Petr Yan during their championship bout at UFC 251.
Just spoke to Rob Font who confirmed he was offered the #UFC267 interim 135lb title fight BEFORE Cory Sandhagen accepted
Font declined because he recently got COVID-19 & wouldn't be ready for Oct. 30
Instead, he'll fight Jose Aldo on Dec.4
Interview coming to @MiddleEasy soon https://t.co/nCmmmBxqom
Jose Aldo now has another chance to earn a title shot. A win over Font at UFC Apex would place the Brazilian among the top-three UFC 135-pound contenders.
With current champion Aljamain Sterling set to fight interim titleholder Yan in a rematch next year, Aldo will try to jump past two-time bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw (No.2) in the rankings and fight soon for another belt.