On a 1-10 scale, how much do you sympathize with Jose Aldo’s frustration with his inability to secure a rematch against Conor McGregor, and why? The following is the first batch of responses from the MMATorch team.
ADAM TINDAL, MMATorch contributor
I can totally sympathize with Jose Aldo’s frustration here. He’s been around long enough to see the UFC hand out immediate rematches to fighters far less deserving than him, so it’s only natural to get a little annoyed every time you’re passed up so Conor can take another journey toward personal glory. However, Aldo is a rare case due to the high-profile nature of his loss to Conor McGregor and just how fast it happened. Unfortunately for him, that KO loss and the fact that it came against the biggest star the UFC has ever seen will likely work against him for the foreseeable future.
MIKE HISCOE, MMATorch contributor
I sympathize with Jose Aldo in the sense that he was promised something and it wasn’t delivered. What I don’t sympathize with is his feeling of entitlement to a release. So with all that in mind, I have to say I am a 5 on the sympathy scale. Aldo is missing the big picture in not accepting an interim title defense on the same card as McGregor-Alvarez. A win over Max Holloway or Anthony Pettis right before McGregor fights would have planted the seed in fans’ minds of wanting to see Aldo-McGregor one more time. Aldo’s only valid claim to a fight with McGregor right now is that he holds a relatively meaningless interim championship; that means absolutely nothing if he refuses to defend it while McGregor is doing other things. I’m not convinced that a fight with McGregor is what Aldo is really after. Aldo had the chance to fight McGregor at UFC 196 and turned it down. I sense that Aldo would rather be named the official Featherweight Champion by default than to wait for McGregor to come back to 145 or to move up to 155 and challenge McGregor there. Aldo is not in a position to call his shots, so I don’t expect UFC to give in to any of his demands.
NICK GRINUP, MMATorch contributor
I give Jose Aldo a 3. I completely understand the frustration he has when Dana White told him and the world after the second Nate Diaz fight that McGregor had to go down and defend his belt at 145 lbs. But Jose Aldo has pulled out of fights before and even had an opportunity to avenge his loss when Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out against McGregor and he declined. The bottom line is Jose Aldo is the Interim Champion and he should fight whomever is next in line since McGregor is fighting at 155 lbs for now. I understand his frustration, but he does not have the best resume to speak out against McGregor or the UFC at this point. If he really wants to have a chance to fight McGregor in the future, keep winning.
CHRISTOPHER KING, MMATorch contributor
With Aldo, I give him about an 8. I take two points away for him not recognizing how the sport of MMA and the UFC in particular play their game these days. But I cannot take away he was one of the most dominant champions ever, has beaten the second-best Featherweight in Frankie Edgar (with apologies to Mr Max Holloway), and while he did lose in 13 seconds anyone can get caught on their day. To throw his toys out of the pram in the way that he has done will certainly not garner him any more fans and I can see him walking away from the sport. Personally as long as there is a chance for him to claim redemption against McGregor, he will always be interested.
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