Featherweight champ Jose Aldo says it's on Max Holloway whether he shows up to UFC 208

RIO DE JANEIRO – Jose Aldo dismissed Max Holloway’s callout at this past Saturday’s UFC 206, telling MMAjunkie he was already booked for the show.

It’s on Holloway (17-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) whether he wants to show up or not, the newly undisputed champ said.

“The date is certain,” Aldo (25-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) said today during a media day in support of an upcoming miniseries based on his life. “I’ll fight that day, whether it’s with him or somebody else. Whether he’ll show up or not is his problem.”

After beating ex-lightweight champ Anthony Pettis (19-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) for the interim belt, Holloway was gung-ho about fighting Aldo at the Feb. 11 pay-per-view event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. He jabbed at the newly crowned champ with a social media hashtag, “Where’s Jose Waldo?”

But at the post-event news conference, Holloway seemed to backtrack, questioning whether Aldo would show up. It’s not the first time he’s questioned the once-dominant champ’s mettle.

“I don’t want to give up my son’s birthday and Christmas for Feb. 11, and (Aldo) don’t show up,” Holloway (17-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) said. “This guy has a knack for not showing up to the fights.”

The No. 2 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings added he would brunch with UFC President Dana White to figure out his next move and heal some bumps and bruises before getting back into camp.

No. 1 ranked Aldo, who was crowned undisputed champ after Conor McGregor reportedly relinquished the belt, said if Holloway wants to fight for the title, he should start training soon. The other stuff can wait.

“I think everybody has a family,” Aldo said. “Everyone has kids, dates, everything. So if you want to be champion, there’s no such thing (as picking dates).

“I’ve fought events like Super Bowl (weekend) and trained during Christmas and New Year’s and it was never a problem for me. So it’s very easy to analyze and see who’s the one that’s not going to show up. This was already certain, like I said. It was certain, and the UFC already had these dates in mind. We just hadn’t announced it because (Holloway vs. Pettis) needed to happen first.”

For more on UFC 208, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.