“Concerning Aldo, we are just waiting to see what the future holds right now since McGregor has been allowed to keep the 145 title while being able to fight or the 155 title. That is something that hasn’t happened before. I spent four years asking the UFC the same thing, to allow Aldo to keep his featherweight belt while going up and contesting at lightweight but it was never allowed. Now we see Conor get the OK on his first request.”
-A perturbed Andre Pederneiras, coach of former UFC Champ Jose Aldo, discusses the favoritism shown to Conor McGregor by the UFC in an interview with Sherdog.com (transcribed by BloodyElbow.com).
Penick’s Analysis: There were a couple of key differences between the two fighters that have led to McGregor getting his wish where Aldo did not. For starters, Aldo’s fought sparingly for most of his UFC run, and one of the reasons McGregor is getting to move up is his plan to fight multiple times a year to defend both belts if he captures both. Second, for as good as Aldo was and for as long as he was on top, his star power and drawing power was never near where McGregor sits now. The money McGregor brings in gives him a level of say that other fighters simply can’t match. It’s not a fair system, and though Aldo and Pederneiras can feel irritated with the situation, that’s just where things stand.
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Sure, McGregor is WWE’s…oh, wait…UFC’s marketable talent, so why not throw aside fighter rankings in order to give their golden boy a “push”?
And after that, you might as well give him a free title shot at 170 lbs. After all, he’s MARKETABLE!
Ugh…
Dude, just don’t watch him.