Dedé (right) is Aldo’s (left) head coach. Photo: Disclosure
The head coach of José Aldo, Dedé Pederneiras, criticized the UFC's lack of criteria for negotiating with Conor McGregor compared to what he did when the Brazilian was the world featherweight champion.
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Just a month after defeating Aldo and winning the title in the 66 kg category, McGregor was confirmed in a fight for the belt in the top division, the lightweight division. Pederneiras guarantees that he asked the UFC for four years to let Aldo do the same, but he was always rejected.
“Conor will keep the featherweight belt and be able to compete for the lightweight belt. This has never happened before – it's actually a request we've been making for about four years. With him, it was granted in the first place”, criticized the coach, in an interview with the North American website “Sherdog”.
According to Pederneiras, the UFC could face problems with its intention to control both the sporting part and the promotion of the fights themselves. “I said in an old interview that the UFC wanted to have control of the sport and remain a business. But, when you play a sport, there are rules: the rule that applies to João, applies to Joaquim. If João got an immediate rematch because he's been champion for three four fights, Joaquim, even though he's as ugly as he can be, has the same right. The problem is when you don't sell it to Joaquim because he doesn't sell as much as João. business, it’s more like ‘whoever wants it, wants it, whoever doesn’t want it, puts their foot down’”, he added.
McGregor will challenge the lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos, on March 5, in the main fight of UFC 197, in Las Vegas (USA).
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