Dedé (right) asked for respect from Aldo (left) after his defeat to McGregor. Photo: Disclosure
The head coach of José Aldo, Dedé Pederneiras, published a long statement after his athlete's defeat in the main fight of UFC 194, last Saturday (12), in Las Vegas, in the United States.
See too
On that occasion, Aldo was knocked out by Conor McGregor surprisingly quickly, in just 13 seconds, which put an end to an unbeaten run that lasted more than ten years and to his reign in the featherweight division.
Still upset about the situation, Pederneiras stated that Aldo deserves public recognition due to his achievements in the sport. “The only thing I ask from everyone is respect for our great champion,” he wrote. “People who appear criticizing today should be aware and think: this guy came from Manaus to Rio with one hand in front and the other behind, to live in the gym, sleep on the mat, wake up later so he wouldn't go hungry because he didn't have money. to have breakfast. And he got to where he is, always believing he would be a champion, which he became thanks to a lot of work and dedication,” he recalled.
Despite Aldo's quick defeat in a fight full of rivalry and tension, the leader of the Nova União academy insists that his athlete was well prepared. “Aldo lost his belt in a fight in which he failed to show how well trained and psychologically prepared he was. There was no provocation that got into his head, there was no technical failure, but rather an unusual blow. A meeting blow like that, catching the chin of a moving opponent, isn't something that happens all the time. But it happened to us. If it were the other way around, with McGregor being hit in the chin and Aldo in the eyebrow, today we would be calling Aldo the super champion, the best of all time, but that's just sports. Better luck for McGregor, who won and is therefore the new champion,” he acknowledged.
Check out Dedé Pederneiras’ full statement:
"Right now, I feel a deep sense of loss. Not only for the belt of José Aldo, but mainly due to the loss of respect for our great champion, who held the UFC title for four years and seven months, for seven fights (not counting almost two years and three WEC title fights). I arrived today from my trip and saw comments from people who, of course, don't understand anything about fighting. If you understand, you never got anywhere because those who have achieved something in our sport know how hard it is to compete at a high level, against athletes from all over the world, and beat them for so many years.
When Brazil had no other champion, in a tense and worrying moment, Aldo kept his title. After that, two more Brazilians joined him, keeping the fame and recognition of MMA in the country high. The only thing I ask from everyone is respect for our great champion. To those who say it was all set up, I prefer not to comment, because they don't deserve time and attention
Last Saturday, José Aldo lost his belt in a fight in which he failed to show how well trained and psychologically prepared he was. There was no provocation that got into his head, there was no technical failure, but rather an unusual blow. A meeting blow like that, catching the chin of a moving opponent, isn't something that happens all the time. But it happened to us. If it were the other way around, with McGregor being hit in the chin and Aldo in the eyebrow, today we would be calling Aldo the super champion, the best of all time, but that's just sports. Better luck for McGregor, who won and is therefore the new champion.
It is necessary to understand that the José Aldo He is a human being who can be defeated, just like any other. The people who appear criticizing today should be aware and think: this guy came from Manaus to Rio with one hand in front and the other behind, to live in the gym, sleep on the mat, wake up later so he wouldn't go hungry because he didn't have money to have breakfast. And he got to where he is, always believing he would be a champion, which he became thanks to a lot of work and dedication. The people's champion!
Whoever is out there criticizing, talking about shame, would they have the courage to do what he did? I bet not. If you had, you would know how difficult it is to win in a country where support for sport is extremely rare. My message to critics is this: get up from your chair, get away from the computer, put down your cell phone, and do better. We need more people like Aldo and less couch critics.
The king left, but he will be back soon!”
[vox id=”36859″]
Comments