J. Aldo (photo) is no longer the featherweight champion. Photo: Disclosure
After losing the UFC belt in just 13 seconds to Conor McGregor, José Aldo He has his sights set on a new title fight in his next engagement in the Octagon. And, according to the Brazilian's trainer and manager, Dedé Pederneiras, the former champion could go more than a year without fighting until he receives the much-desired opportunity.
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Aldo saw his long unbeaten run come to an end in December 2015, and since then, he has had his eye on an immediate rematch against the Irishman. The problem is that McGregor will move up a category to compete for the lightweight belt, and in the featherweight division, Frankie Edgar is theoretically next in line. Precisely for this reason, Pederneiras recognizes that Aldo could spend 2016 without competing.
“I can say that this is our idea currently. This may change tomorrow, but this is our idea at the moment. Aldo believes he has the right [to fight for the belt], and so do I. He's just going to fight for the belt. He was the champion, undefeated for ten years, and he thinks he has the same right that others have had. Some fighters are getting rematches that deserve less than Aldo. Whether it happens now or in ten years, he thinks he deserves to fight for the title”, declared Pederneiras, in a press conference reproduced by the North American website “MMA Fighting”.
For the moment, McGregor has put the featherweight division on hold, as, on March 5th, he will challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title. If he wins, the Irishman will become the first athlete in history to hold two UFC belts from different categories at the same time.
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