Jose Aldo var enligt egen utsago redo för att möta Max Holloway den 11 februari under UFC 208, ett möte som nu är i gungning efter det att Holloway skadade sig under mötet mot Anthony Pettis. Nu har Aldos tränare Andre Pederneiras gått ut och berättat hur planerna såg ut för 2017, och enligt honom så tänkte de först försvara fjäderviktstiteln för att sedan möta Khabib Nurmagomedov och Conor McGregor i lättvikt.
Detta hade Pederneiras att säga via ”Combate.com”:
I think it’s time for the UFC to say something and back up everything we’re saying. It sounds like we’re just saying stuff, but throughout all of this I’ve received messages, e-mails with proposals, everything.
Our intention was always to defend the belt. Because a champion who doesn’t defend at least once doesn’t really stamp his championship belt. (Aldo) himself said it: I won my belt, I’ll defend it now – this in a conversation between us – and we’ll go after Conor.
When Sean Shelby told me the fight wasn’t happening on Feb. 11, I said, ‘Sean, we’re now in a complicated situation. Our plans for this year would be this fight, challenging the No. 1 (lightweight) challenger, which would be Khabib – we want to get the toughest guy in the division, who everyone, say, runs from – and then, after that, Conor, who’s pregnant and will only fight after that.
The only request that I have is that, humbly, either Khabib or Ferguson take the fight. In case both have injury issues that I don’t know of, which I understand, that the fight is directly with Conor, and then it’s not our fault. Our position has always been that we didn’t like it when someone came from a different division and walked straight into a title fight.
If he gets beat, he’ll fight Holloway, no problem. Everyone is happy. Max Holloway goes to Disney to see Mickey and Goofy, Aldo fights the No.1 challenger, takes away Conor’s possible defeat to Khabib – which is what everyone thinks – and finally he has the rematch with Conor and shows the entire world he’s the true champion.
Sist vi såg Jose inne i oktogonen besegrade han Frankie Edgar via ett enhälligt domslut, då de möttes under UFC 200. Vad som står på tur för fjäderviktsmästaren återstår att se.
