“Dana said his next fight has to be at featherweight,” Jose Aldo said of Conor McGregor at a recent media conference.
According to Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor will be forced to defend his featherweight title, win or lose against Nate Diaz at UFC 202.
The news comes The Daily Star, who reported that Aldo claimed Dana White assured him of a rematch with McGregor following UFC 202.
“That’s what Dana said,” Aldo told reporters at a media day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “Dana said his next fight has to be at featherweight, so I’m hopeful.”
‘Scarface’, who ruled as UFC featherweight champ for four years, lost the title to ‘The Notorious’ at UFC 194. It was a devastating night for Aldo, who was knocked out just thirteen seconds into the first round after an entire year’s worth of trash talk during promotional events.
The Brazilian, however, seems to have buried that in the past and is only focused on reclaiming the official 145-pound belt.
“I’m thinking about that and hope that is the case. But if it’s not, I have no problem. I want to be champion. Whoever they put in there, I will win,” Aldo said.
Aldo picked up the interim featherweight title when he cruised to a unanimous decision win over Frankie Edgar at this year’s blockbuster UFC 200 pay-per-view. The 29-year-old extended his resume to 26-2 and has only lost once – to McGregor – in the last ten years.
McGregor, who was submitted by Diaz at UFC 196, will rematch the Californian at UFC 202. The PPV takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 20.