Jose Aldo Won’t Retire Without Fighting McGregor Once Again

The rivalry between UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and former 145-pound kingpin Jose Aldo is far from over.

In a recent UFC 200 media day event in Brazil, courtesy of MMA Fighting, Aldo was asked on his feelings if the brash Irishman left the featherweight division:

“We catch him in the street,” Aldo said. “No matter how, we will fight. F–k it.”

McGregor and Aldo were originally set to meet in the main event of UFC 189, unfortunately the Brazilian was forced to pull out of the bout citing an injury sustained in training camp.

Aldo was replaced by two-time title challenger Chad Mendes who, while dominating the Irishman on the ground throughout the majority of the first two rounds, would go on to gas-out late in the second round which ultimately led to his demise.

McGregor would capture the interim UFC featherweight champion, and a unification bout between he and Aldo would finally go down at UFC 194 in December.

Aldo’s decade of dominance in the featherweight division was wiped away by McGregor in a mere 13-seconds after the Brazilian was caught by a thunderous left hand to his chin, sending him down to the canvas unconscious in dramatic fashion.

Since wining the title McGregor has been embroiled in a welterweight rivalry with Stockton native Nate Diaz, holding the featherweight division hostage in the process by not having defended his title since winning it.

McGregor has put on a ton of weight since his last outing at 145 pounds, and it has been well noted that the weight cut is a strenuous one for the Irishman.

Many mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are skeptical that ‘Notorious’ will ever return to the featherweight division, but when asked on that possibility Aldo exclaimed that he is reluctant to retire from the sport without getting at least one more shot at the man who but a dent in his hard earned legacy:

“No way,” Aldo said. “Only if he stops fighting. As long as he’s in the UFC, this fight will happen. That’s a fact. We will get the belt back and be champion again.

“We’ll move up. The UFC will do this fight. It doesn’t matter at which weight. I don’t care.”

In regards to the UFC letting McGregor compete in a different weight class twice while holding onto the featherweight title, Aldo says he is open to the option of fighting McGregor at a different weight class once he reclaims his 145-pound throne:

“Only with me? F–k. That would suck,” Aldo joked on the possibility of being forced to vacate his title before being allowed to compete in a different division. “But I don’t think so. We can do a super fight. If that’s the case only with me… No, not again [laughs].”

Aldo will meet Frankie Edgar for the interim UFC featherweight title at UFC 200 live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9, 2016.