Jose Aldo coach Pederneiras on McGregor loss: 'King has left, but will be back shortly'

Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo’s longtime coach has stepped up to defend the fighter in the wake of his knockout loss to now-UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor in the headliner of this past Saturday’s UFC 194.

Andre Pederneiras, who guided Aldo’s career at Nova Uniao, addressed the former champ’s loss at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in an open letter – via MMA Fight Night Live – posted to Facebook and on Twitter.

Pederneiras blasted critics who emerged after the fight and invited them to walk a mile in the Brazilian’s shoes. Negative comments had made him feel “a deep sense of loss at this moment.”

The coach also appeared to fire back at UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who was caught on tape at UFC 194 calling Aldo (25-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) “deflated” and “nervous” prior to his fight with McGregor (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and speculated it was related to performance-enhancing drug use.

“For the clown who thinks Aldo took something, draw your own conclusions,” Pederneiras wrote on Twitter while attaching a picture from Aldo’s previous four fights.

Undisputed, however, was the effect of the punch that felled Aldo. Pederneiras said the ex-champ simply got caught in the right place.

“A blow like that, connecting in someone’s chin while moving forward, isn’t something that happens all the time,” he said. “But it has happened with us. Better luck for McGregor, who won and, therefore, is the new champion.”

And while Aldo is down, the coach said, he is not out. Read Pederneira’s letter in full:

“I have a deep sense of loss at this moment. Not only because of Jose Aldo’s belt, but mainly because of the lack of respect to our great champion, who maintained the UFC belt for four years and seven months, for seven fights (not counting his almost two years and three fights with the WEC title). I got back to Brazil and saw comments from people that certainly don’t know anything about fighting. And if they do, they never got anywhere, because those who achieved something in our sport know how hard is to compete at the highest level, against athletes from all over the world, and defeat them for many years.

“When Brazil had no other champion, in a tense moment, Aldo maintained his title. After that, two other Brazilians joined him, maintaining the fame and recognition of the country in MMA. The only thing I ask everyone is respect to our great champion. For those who say it was fixed, I’d rather not comment, because they don’t deserve time and attention.

“Last Saturday, Jose Aldo lost his belt in a fight in which he couldn’t show how well trained and prepared psychologically he was. There was no taunting that could enter his head, there was no technical failure, just an unusual blow. A blow like that, connecting in someone’s chin while moving forward, isn’t something that happens all the time. But it has happened with us. If it was the opposite, with McGregor being punched in the chin and Aldo in the eyebrow, we would be calling Aldo a superchampion today, the best of all times, but this is how sports are. Better luck for McGregor, who won and, therefore, is the new champion.

“We need to understand that Jose Aldo is a human being subject to defeats, like any other. Those who show up criticizing him should think: this guy came from Manaus to Rio with nothing, to live in a gym, sleep on the mat, and wake up late so he wouldn’t starve since he had no money to have breakfast. He got where he were, always believing he would be a champion, and became one, due to hard work and dedication. The people’s champion.

“Would those who are out there criticizing, talking about embarrassment, have the courage to do what he did? I bet not. If they did, they would know how hard is to win in a country where it’s rare to have support to sports. My message to critics is this: Get up from the chair, get out from the computer, drop the phone, and do better. We need more people like Aldo and less critics from the couch.

“The king has left, but will be back shortly.”

For complete coverage of UFC 194, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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