Jose Aldo had a night to forget on Dec. 12, 2015, losing his UFC featherweight title in a 13-second knockout loss to Conor McGregor in Las Vegas. He says, however, that the shocking defeat was not the reason why he “cried a lot” in his locker room at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The UFC revealed the locker room footage of Aldo crying with his team moments after the UFC 194 main event defeat to his fierce rival, and the Brazilian star discussed that in a recent interview with Mundo da Luta.
“I cried a lot because, in my mind, after I lost, I thought, ‘Fuck, there’s going to be a rematch because I was a dominant champion,’” Aldo said. “Up until that point, I was the first and only featherweight champion in history. So, in my mind, I thought, ‘There’s going to be a rematch, I’m going to fight him again, and it’s going to be a whole new story.’
“But then Dana comes [to the locker room] and tells me that Conor can’t make weight anymore, so they can’t do that fight. [White] said he was going to move up to lightweight because it was too difficult for him [to make 145] and he couldn’t do it anymore. It was the last time he was going to make featherweight, win or lose.”
Aldo spent years calling for a rematch with “The Notorious,” but the Irishman never returned to featherweight after claiming the lightweight belt. Aldo regained the 145-pound title in his absence, later dropping to bantamweight for another title run. The thought of never getting a chance to face McGregor broke his heart.
“That’s why I was crying,” Aldo said. “Everyone thinks I was crying because I lost. No, I was crying because I knew we weren’t going to fight again. There was no way for me to get that win back, you know?”
Aldo and McGregor have built a friendly relationship in past few years, and the UFC Hall of Famer recently advised McGregor to return to lightweight after competing as a welterweight in past fights, including his recent injury loss to Max Holloway.
“Regardless of the outcome back when we fought, I always root for everyone to be able to fight, come back, and do their job,” Aldo told MMA Fighting in September. “It’s sad because of the injury. Everyone waited for him to come back, and then he comes back, you have that fight week, everyone is excited, millions and millions of people [tuning in], and then when the time comes, that happens. It’s sad. I think it could have been a great fight, him and Max, but he got injured. It’s sad, you know? I hope he can come back, recover, and return to the octagon.
“We don’t know if he’ll come back in his prime, if he’ll come back at a high level, considering how much time he’s been away. I think he was out for two years, or four, I don’t remember, and then he came back, got injured, and now he’s going to be out for even more time.”
