McGregor’s Father: I Don’t Know Why Aldo Won’t Face Conor

Ever since long-time featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo pulled out of his scheduled mega fight with Conor McGregor at July 11’s UFC 189, the brash and outspoken Irish sensation has ramped up his trash talk.

McGregor went on to score a second-round TKO over former No. 1-contender Chad Mendes to earn the interim title, making a title unifier with Aldo a necessity, but the “Notorious” one has constantly stated that Aldo is scared, and that he doesn’t believe the champion will be back.

Interestingly, McGregor’s father, who appeared on the MMA Hour yesterday (July 20, 2015), has a different opinion. Tony McGregor doesn’t believe Aldo is scared, but he’s not sure why “Scarface” won’t face his son:

“Personally, I don’t think [Aldo] is afraid of him,” Tony McGregor said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I just don’t know why he won’t face him.”

Continuing on, McGregor’s father stated that he respects all fighters, and he’d hate to think a champion is afraid. He also added that Irish fans were very disappointed when Aldo pulled out, but it ended up being a win-win as the Aldo vs. McGregor bout will now be even bigger:

“I’d hate to think a champion is afraid of any fighter, you know?” McGregor’s father said. “I have to have respect for all fighters. Anyone who steps into the Octagon, I have respect for them. I don’t know why he pulled out of this, but the fact of the matter is, he did. When it was confirmed that he wasn’t fighting, it was a big disappointment for us Irish fans all over the world.

“But I knew actually, when Chad Mendes was put forward, I knew it was a win-win situation for the fans.

“We have the Aldo fight back on … and it’s even bigger now.”

Much of the disappointment was due to the massive buildup and hype surrounding the fight. The UFC spent more money than they ever had before, and even held a world tour in which Aldo and McGregor traveled around the globe promoting the fight.

Mr. McGregor believes that something like that won’t happen again, stating that he believes Aldo has just had enough:

“I can’t see the world promo thing going ahead,” Tony McGregor said. “I wouldn’t speak for them, but I couldn’t see Aldo going through another world promo tour. I think he’s just had enough.”

It’s hard to believe that the reigning pound-for-pound king would be scared, but what are your thoughts?