While Jose Aldo doesn't claim to know much about the blossoming career of Conor McGregor, the longtime UFC featherweight champ apparently took offense to the witty Irishman's verbal jabs.
McGregor not only tried to disparage his next opponent, Cole Miller, he also attempted to demean fourth-ranked UFC featherweight Cub Swanson, top-ranked featherweight Chad Mendes and Aldo.
"I'm going to stop Cole. Whoever's next. Cub [Swanson], I'll break Cub. I'll embarrass Chad [Mendes]. I'll annihilate Jose [Aldo]. I'm coming to take over the division. It's my division," McGregor said on UFC Tonight via MMAFighting.com.
Aldo, the UFC's first featherweight champ who's unbeaten under the Zuffa, LLC. banner, offered a firm response to McGregor's colorful remarks on UFC Tonight by saying the following to MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruze:
"That’s normal. Some fighters like to promote themselves by talking, and he’s just another one. I’m open to new challenges and I really hope he gets where he’s saying he will, so we can fight and see for sure everything he says. For now, he’s only a talker."
Sporting a 6-0 record in the UFC, with each of his wins coming in title fights, Aldo trivialized McGregor's swift rise to fame.
"I never watched this guy fight, man," Aldo said. "He only fought once and thinks he’s the king. I’m waiting to see him fight again."
McGregor, the UFC's 13th-ranked 145-pounder, scored wins over Marcus Brimage and Max Holloway in his first two UFC fights in 2013.
McGregor tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his win over Holloway and just got clearance to begin training camp for his main-event bout with Miller at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin, Ireland.
Miller has won his last two fights and three of his last four. In his last bout, Miller won via rear-naked choke in the second round over Sam Sicilia at UFC Fight Night 35 in January.
