Jose Aldo, UFC’s first and only featherweight champion, opened up.
Following a press conference on Thursday afternoon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aldo talked to the Brazilian media about several topics, including a possible rematch with Chad Mendes.
With Anthony Pettis out of the picture (for now), Aldo looks to defend the featherweight crown next. Chad Mendes made the case for a rematch with five straight victories with four knockouts, but Aldo is not impressed.
“Chad is a really dangerous and talented fighter, but I don’t know if it’s going to be him or another one,” he said. “It’s up to (Andre Pederneiras). I’m waiting the names they’ll offer me.
“I respect (Mendes) a lot, he’s tough, but it doesn’t matter if he’s coming off knockouts or not. I don’t think he changed the way he fights, and he didn’t fight top 10 opponents. If he’s my next opponent, I’ll study him again to get in there and fight.”
With eight consecutive title defenses under the Zuffa banner, Aldo had to hear criticism from Dana White after a unanimous decision victory over Ricardo Lamas. According to the UFC president, Aldo “has all the talent in the world” and “can do anything, but just lays back and doesn’t let anything go.”
“Everybody talks about this,” Aldo responded. “I never fought so well like in my last fight. I attacked him the whole time. I did my best. We need to know how to handle the criticism. You dedicate and suffer a lot to showcase your technique and ability, things that few people can do, and some people say you’re laying back. It’s tough, but I don’t care about this.”
“UFC is bigger (than WEC) and everybody knows me today,” the champion continued. “But I don’t think I have slowed down. I may be more strategic, but offensive as always. I attacked a lot in my last fight. We always try the knockout but it’s hard to get it if the opponent always runs away.
“If you lose, no one will remember you, but if you’re the champion they will always remember you. I want to keep winning, no matter what.”
White said that the lack of finishes could make Aldo lose some positions in the pound-for-pound rankings. Again, Aldo doesn’t seem to care.
“The ranking is f–king useless, and I don’t care about it or anything people put on (about it),” Aldo said. “The best pound-for-pound fighter is (Cain) Velasquez because he beats all of them. If they put him against me, he’d beat me. That’s how it works for me. The best is that one that beats everybody. I don’t care about the rankings.”