Jose Aldo opens up on why he turned down fight with Conor McGregor

It was the fight Jose Aldo has been having dreams of ever since he lost at UFC 194 back in December. However, with less than two weeks given for an opportunity to rematch Conor McGregor, Aldo turned down the fight when McGregor’s originally scheduled opponent Rafael dos Anjos pulled out due to an injury and spoke on the MMA Hour about his decision.

“Any professional needs time to train,” Aldo said (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “It’s not a cockfight where I go there and put my rooster to fight. It’s a high-level sport, I’m going there to do my job. When I have time to train, it can happen at any time, anywhere.”

Aldo mentioned that his camp and the UFC are on good terms and have come to an agreement with each other on the next fight.

“I can’t speak for others, and I don’t care what they say. I know I deserve an immediate rematch,” Aldo said of those who think he should be in a non-title bout next. “People who say I don’t, I don’t care about them. The important is what the UFC thinks and what we think. We came to the conclusion that we’re having an immediate rematch.”

Aldo’s main goal is fighting for the featherweight title and regaining what he had lost to McGregor.

“I know I will win (the belt) again,” Aldo said and clarified his wish to fight back in the Octagon at UFC 200 in July.

“I want to fight at UFC 200,” Aldo said. “It’s a historical edition, a great event. I would like to be part of it.”

Do you think Jose Aldo made a wise decision to turn down the rematch with Conor McGregor? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.