Aldo admitted provoking rivals for money (Photo: Buda Mendes/UFC)
Known for his always calm and reserved style, José Aldo He is willing to change the way he behaves for one reason only: money. When asked about the provocations he has received from Max Holloway, his opponent at UFC 212, which will be held on June 3, in Rio de Janeiro, the featherweight champion admitted that he started to look favorably on exchanges of barbs between fighters, because, according to him, this pleases the fans, and , consequently, yields a higher salary for those involved.
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“The exchange of barbs is great for me, that’s what sells. This is a totally different generation than when I started. When I started, they were fighters who had respect for the philosophy of fighting. Nowadays there's the Nutella fighter and the real one. Nowadays it's a joke. If you don't talk, provoke, you won't fight with anyone, you'll just stay behind. The ranking is useless, what it is useful for is talking, provoking, selling the fight. What moves these days is money. This for me is super normal. I like that. In my penultimate (against Conor McGregor), I made a lot of money. That's what I think about nowadays. I want to be the champion I've always been, I have my honor and respect, everything I've learned, but it's no longer worth being the good guy, the true champion. The thing is to swear, to talk... Athletes know what happens behind the scenes, each person's statements behind them, but it's much easier to get to the media and sell. If I say that I want Pacquiao it already generates headlines, it becomes a snowball, it only keeps growing. The more they talk, for me it's great, it makes the fight great. Here in Rio, you can be sure it will be a full house, fighting here is special, but there has to be provocation. Now it is the athletes who are fighting the fight. If you arrive and curse, that's the fight that will happen. When the fight ends, everyone goes their own way with money in their pockets. You have to curse the other person's mother, the whole damn thing, which is what will make money”, declared the fighter, during the UFC 212 launch press conference.
Despite guaranteeing a change in style when promoting fights, Aldo stated that this provocative profile does not please him. However, he stressed that it is necessary to adapt to what the public likes.
“What moves is money. Athletes have to understand this side. I personally don't like it, I was raised differently. Dedé, when he made me the athlete I am, wasn't like that, but, as I told you, we have to adapt. If it has become this, whether you like it or not, it's good to have money in your pocket. Promotion has to happen, this goes back to the boxing era, with provocations, it's normal, but poking is not the Brazilian athlete's thing. It is not our profile to provoke, we have respect, but Brazilian athletes have to understand that it has to be like this and provoke them”, concluded Aldo.
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