Reacting to the news of former-foe, Jose Aldo’s stunning, retirement-snapping comeback to mixed martial arts at UFC 301 in May, Conor McGregor has claimed he’s happy to see the Brazilian make a return to the Octagon.
Aldo, the promotion’s inaugural featherweight champion and recent Hall of Fame inductee, is slated to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 301 in two months’ time in his native Brazil, taking on bantamweight contender, Jonathan Martinez.
Sidelined from mixed martial arts for almost two years time by the time of his comeback, Manaus favorite, Aldo most recently saw a three-fight winning run halted by expected next title challenger, Merab Dvalishvili in a decision loss to the Georgian.
Conor McGregor backs Jose Aldo ahead of UFC return
And booked to return following a pair of professional boxing matches in his time away from the Octagon, WEC veteran, Aldo takes on Martinez – and despite sharing one of the most distinct rivalries in the sport’s history with ex-two-weight champion, McGregor, the Brazilian received massive praise for making a return.
“Look at (Jose) Aldo now, [it’s] great to see Jose back,” Conor McGregor told MMA Fighting. “I was really happy to see Jose back. I was actually taken aback that he did retired when he did retire.”
“He was a contestant for the f*cking title,” Conor McGregor. “He was in title contention in my opinion, where I was looking. He was very unlucky to not actually scoop the title. And, you know, he fought the champions, and whatnot. … Now he’s back, I’m delighted to see him back. [He’s a] tremendous goer, always great for the company. And, there you go, let’s go.”
Fighting in a featherweight championship unification bout back in 2015, McGregor, the then-interim titleholder turned in a record-setting knockout win over Aldo in just 13 seconds, unifying the championships and handing the Brazilian his first promotional defeat.
What are your thoughts on Conor McGregor’s praise for rival Jose Aldo?