Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
“I disagree here. He looks more than on top of it in my experienced opinion. Well trimmed in advance, and naturally a lighter man now.”
New photos have surfaced of Jose Aldo preparing for his bantamweight debut against Marlon Moraes at UFC 245, and the Brazilian fan favorite looks much gaunter than his usual self.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani raised concerns over Aldo’s physical health but, according to former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who KO’d Aldo to win the featherweight title at UFC 194, ‘Scarface’ looks to be in good shape.
‘The Notorious’ responded to Helwani via Twitter, where he defended Aldo’s decision to cut to 135-pounds.
I disagree here. He looks more than on top of it in my experienced opinion. Well trimmed in advance, and naturally a lighter man now. This can only be done over a long length of time and with complete dedication. Respect! I wish him well and am excited to see him in this division
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) December 6, 2019
“I disagree here,” McGregor said. “He looks more than on top of it in my experienced opinion. Well trimmed in advance, and naturally a lighter man now. This can only be done over a long length of time and with complete dedication. Respect! I wish him well and am excited to see him in this division.”
Helwani then responded with the following Tweet.
Fair enough. Respect. But, was it truly necessary at this stage in his career? What can be gained from a cut like this at this point? Prior to his last fight, a loss to the man who is fighting for the belt next week, he looked great in two straight wins/finishes.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 6, 2019
“Fair enough. Respect. But, was it truly necessary at this stage in his career? What can be gained from a cut like this at this point? Prior to his last fight, a loss to the man who is fighting for the belt next week, he looked great in two straight wins/finishes.”
Aldo, the former pound-for-pound No. 1, will take on Moraes at the upcoming UFC 245 pay-per-view on Dec. 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The highly anticipated PPV will feature three title fights in total: Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington, Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski and Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie.