For a second, it sounded like Conor McGregor had some sympathy for Jose Aldo.
“I don’t blame the man,” he started. But the consideration quickly disappeared as McGregor continued.
“I was going to fucking butcher him.”
The Notorious believes that the UFC featherweight champion was more than able to fight despite suffering a rib injury last week but that Aldo declined the fight due to fear.
At a media conference call this evening, McGregor was asked if he believed that Aldo ought to be stripped of his belt because of persistent withdrawals from title bouts, the Irishman was typically opinionated.
“I don’t know whether he’ll be back,” McGregor answered. “Like I said, he’s gone running, and I don’t think he’ll be back.
“If a man pussies out, and he’s pussied out time and time again [he should be stripped]. He’s pulled out of contests time and time again. I mean, the medical reports say he’s fit to fight, so there are no more questions. If you’re fit to fight and you’re not going to fight, the belt rightfully should be stripped, and this [should be] for the regular featherweight belt.”
McGregor fights late replacement Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight belt with a unification bout with Jose Aldo likely to take place later this year.
The UFC confirmed today that their next trip to Dublin would take place on October 24th at the 3Arena and many suggested that that meant McGregor would not be on the card because his drawing power would be wasted in a venue with a capacity of around 10,000.
But The Notorious was quick to insist that he would fight tooth and nail to convince UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta to get him on the card.
“He [Fertitta] wants me on a bigger one,” McGregor said. “But I’m saying, you don’t have a show in my hometown and not have me on it. Most certainly I want to be on that card, so we will see which way it plays out.”
One stumbling block comes with the time difference and the UFC’s desire to broadcast title fights at prime time in the U.S.A. (their biggest market) so it remains to be seen which way they’re going to play this.
