WHITE READY TO TALK WITH JOSE TO FIX THINGS
UFC President Dana White says Jose Aldo’s request for release from his UFC contract is ridiculous and he plans to sit down and talk with him about the situation Aldo has made it clear that he feels disrespected by the UFC and was furious when he discovered Conor McGregor would not be defending the title against him as was initially planned.
“Jose Aldo and I will get together, probably next week, and we’ll talk about this,” White said on UFC Tonight this week. “I think he’s being a little ridiculous about this. I’ll get him a fight. I’ll get him a fight all day long.”
Aldo has claimed that his disdain for the UFC has little to do with Conor McGregor and that he would have likely requested his release regardless. White also acknowledged that given the competitive state of the Featherweight Division and so many intriguing fights, it may be hard to reason with McGregor to convince him to face Aldo. “If you look at that division, it’s stacked,” White said. “Holloway’s ready, he wants to fight. Anthony Pettis is in that division now. There’s a lot of talented guys there that he can fight. I can’t make Conor McGregor fight anybody.”
Aldo’s last bout saw him defeat Frankie Edgar to become the interim Featherweight Champion in July at UFC 200.
In our MMATorch.com poll, 54 percent believe Aldo is being screwed by UFC and nearly two thirds are on his side. Only 33 percent are on UFC’s side, with only 13 percent sympathizing with Jose almost none at all. The MMATorch staff gave their opinions on this topic in a three part Roundtable this month.
Cervantes Analysis: After expressing his anger about feeling disrespected, criticizing Dana White, and demanding to be released immediately, it seemed like his exit was inevitable. However, Aldo recently said that if he were to stay with the UFC it would only be for more money. That, coupled with a promise for a title shot after McGregor fights Alvarez at UFC 205, may be enticing enough for him to reconsider. Lastly, if he and Dana White can come to an agreement next week about what both parties feel is fair for him regarding compensation, then all may be forgiven. Jose Aldo’s coach Andre Pederneiras told MMAJunkie the UFC “acted totally in the wrong” with how it passed on giving Aldo a title shot.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-Gegard Mousasi told Flo Combat that, after he referenced Conor McGregor’s bottle-throwing incident last weekend, he was threatened via text message by McGregor.
-UFC has removed the “TBA vs. TBA” main event graphic from their UFC 206 page, which at one point was expected to likely end up featuring George St. Pierre. On “UFC Tonight” earlier this week, White told Daniel Cormier his title defense against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson should be and is the main event.
-Per MMA Fighting, Julianna Pena is reportedly considering leaving the UFC after discovering Ronda Rousey would immediately challenge for the title upon returning.
-In an interview with Rolling Stone, Conor McGregor told the NSAC “good luck trying to get it,” referring to the $150,000 fine levied against him for throwing bottles at Nate Diaz prior to UFC 202.
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: FRIDAY NEWS DIGEST 10/14: Dana White says McGregor has to make a tough choice, Punk’s future, Lesnar development (w/Analysis)
Leave a Reply