Jose Aldo to Conor McGregor: ‘Wherever I hit, brother, you go to sleep’
Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor will finally meet inside the Octagon in 10 days, and the UFC featherweight champion can’t wait to shut "The Notorious" up for good.
Five days before flying from Rio de Janeiro to Las Vegas for UFC 194, Aldo joined McGregor and other UFC 194 stars in a conference call on Wednesday. Aldo responded to past comments about McGregor not targeting his injured ribs if the two had fought at , and explained why he ultimately decided to pull out of the bout.
"[McGregor] wouldn’t even get close to me, he wouldn’t hit me," Aldo said. "That’s not what stopped me from fighting, but other things that would happen. The fight is not what bothered me. I will go there and win like I always did.
"It was the weight cut," he continued, "I would go there and still need to cut weight. The fight itself didn’t bother me. He also had a bad knee too. Relax. Wherever I hit, brother, you go to sleep."
Undefeated for 10 years, "Scarface" only sees one difference between McGregor and his past opponents.
"Another win. No reason to be different," Aldo said of how the fight goes. "That’s what I fight for. It doesn’t matter how it goes. I have to go there, win, and remain champion. The only difference is that I always fought against Americans, and now I’m beating up an Irishman."
After months of build-up, Aldo said he doesn’t hate the interim champion, even after everything that happened during the UFC 189 world tour earlier this year.
"He’s working for me, bringing me money, so why am I going to be angry at him?" Aldo said. "I love all this. He has done good things for the division. If we had another one like him, it would be great.
"He’s just another one. I’ve fought many top fighters before, and he’s just another opponent I have to go there and run through."
McGregor predicted a first-round victory at UFC 194 during the conference call, but the Brazilian doesn’t care if his opponent expects an easy night in Las Vegas.
"It doesn’t matter if he underestimates me or not," Aldo said. "I focus on myself and I train for myself. When I get in there, it doesn’t matter what he or others think. I think about myself, and I know I’ll go in there to work and win."
As for those who are still wondering if he’s going to show up on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas, Aldo has a message.
"That’s for sure," he said. "I will be there, for sure, one more time, winning, as usual. That’s normal for me."