Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor have made amends after a misunderstanding during a post-fight press conference, with Aldo expressing interest in training with McGregor in Ireland.
RIO DE JANEIRO — Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor have put any animosity behind them after a very intense post-fight press conference in Milwaukee. During a recent episode of the Trocação Franca podcast, the Brazilian featherweight explained he had misinterpreted McGregor’s comments following his boxing draw with Jeremy Stephens earlier this month at Gamebred Boxing, which led to Aldo’s profane tirade aimed at “The Notorious.”
Aldo admitted, “I was a little heated…I hadn’t seen what Conor had said. I called him names, laughed a lot, because of that. But when I got to Brazil, I messaged him, apologizing because I saw it wasn’t his intention to challenge me, he was trying to give me a push. I misunderstood [his intentions]. But we’re cool again. Conor is my friend. I wish him all the best.” In recent years, the two fighters have been very cordial toward each other, an unusual friendship given their previously heated and significant rivalry in UFC history. With Aldo now a full-time boxer after retiring from MMA, he expressed he is “super open” to the idea of traveling to Ireland and training with “The Notorious.”
Aldo even said, “Yes. Why not? I have to learn a lot in boxing. There are some great Irish boxers, so if I have the opportunity to go to Ireland and train with Conor and the Irish, I’m super open to it. Especially pro boxing. It’s a new world, and I have to learn from the best. Conor has good boxing, he fought Mayweather in boxing, so he has a lot to teach me.” Aldo had previously told MMA Fighting he was in talks for an exhibition bout with Mayweather in Saudi Arabia, but revealed his focus has shifted slightly. The former UFC and WEC featherweight champion stated he was offered a spot on a future Gamebred Boxing card later in 2023 but is now also in talks for a match in Saudi Arabia in early July against an undefined professional boxer.
Aldo explained, “Ali [Abdelaziz] had already negotiated with [Mayweather’s] staff and it was agreed with the Saudi Arabia people, the sheik…But I think they’re liking what I’m showing in boxing and it’s creating a euphoria to aim at bigger things as well. We’re not past the idea of boxing Mayweather, it might happen, but we have other plans first.” He further stated, “I wanted to build a career in boxing like everybody does, to start against easier opponents and earn experience until you get there, but given the name I have, it’s hard to take the same path everybody else does. We’re trying to choose the right fight.” Aldo concluded by discussing his need to fight in the right weight class as new opportunities arise in boxing, potentially postponing the Mayweather match for some time.