Jose Aldo: Conor McGregor Is Just Another Fighter

Returning from an injured neck that forced UFC 176 to be canceled, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will fight for his seventh straight title defense when he rematches No. 1-ranked Chad Mendes in the main event of October 25’s UFC 179 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Yet all of the talk about the featherweight division has been centered on rising No. 5-ranked Conor McGregor, who will be octagon-side at UFC 179. UFC President Dana White said that McGregor will likely get the next title shot, and just in case, “Notorious” has talked a ton of trash about both Aldo and Mendes.

Apparently none of it is getting to Aldo, who told MMA Junkie that he continues to keep his focus on Mendes. He apparently hasn’t read about McGregor’s hype, which has dominated MMA news for the past few months:

“I’m not looking at anyone else at the moment. I’m focused on my next fight, which is against Chad Mendes. If people are hyping Conor, I haven’t read about it. After my fight, I’ll have time to see what the hype’s all about.”

It makes sense that Aldo has been preparing to face the surging Mendes, who has won five in a row to earn a rematch with “Junior.” But that hardly means that he doesn’t pay attention to what is going on at 145 pounds. Aldo said that he does follow the bouts going on in the rankings below him, and McGregor hasn’t done anything to stand out in his opinion:

“I make it a point to observe all fighters in the featherweight category. I’m the champion, and I plan to remain the champion. I do pay attention to any featherweight fight where someone is ranked in the UFC, since that could potentially be my next adversary. Conor is no different than any other fighter. I don’t see anything that stands out.”

Millions would argue that McGregor stands out from all other fighters with his outspoken style of self-promotion in addition to his electric knockout ability, which he’s used to finish three of his four UFC opponents. If Aldo can get past an improved Mendes for the second time, there’s a great chance we’ll be seeing McGregor fight for the belt less than two years after he debuted with the UFC.

Aldo’s Nova Uniao camp has seen better days, with two of their three champions losing their titles this year. Can “Junior” prove that McGregor is just another fighter by keeping his?

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez for USA TODAY Sports