Jose Aldo has to feel good coming out of UFC 200. He scored a key win over an elite-level opponent in Frankie Edgar, convinced the world (and, probably, himself) that he is still a pound-for-pound-caliber talent and once again has UFC gold around his waist in the form of the interim UFC featherweight title.
So what's next for the Brazilian? According to UFC President Dana White, a rematch with Conor McGregor. Speaking after UFC 200 (per Mike Johnston of SportsNet), White declared that a featherweight title unification match was on the cards following McGregor's upcoming fight at UFC 202.
Aldo, for his part, approved of the news.
“I was born to be the champion, if I’m the interim champion or whatever I was always the champion,” said Aldo (via MMAJunkie.com's Mike Bohn). “If I get the fight next with him I’m going to still be the champion...I’m prepared and we can fight right now if we wanted to. We’ll see if he keeps his word, and if not I’ll have to find somewhere else to fight him.”
McGregor famously defeated Aldo in just 13 seconds at UFC 194, capping an incredibly quick rise from European circuit standout to biggest name in the sport. That stardom led to the UFC rewriting its promotional playbook, and allowing him to pursue a second world title at 155 pounds.
Unfortunately, that opportunity faded away when then-lightweight champ Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out of the fight due to injury. He was replaced by Nate Diaz, who defeated McGregor by second-round submission, and the two of them have been locked in a bitter rivalry ever since.
While White insists that McGregor will return to 145 pounds after UFC 202, where he will rematch Diaz in a fight at 170 pounds, the odds are stacked against the matchup for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, it's unlikely he will be able get down to the featherweight division at any point in the near future. McGregor had an incredibly difficult cut down to 145 pounds even when he was fighting there full time. He is visibly bulkier these days and would have to shed a great deal of muscle in order to make 145 without risking serious medical issues.
Second, if McGregor can take the rematch, there is little reason he shouldn't be able to reclaim the lightweight title shot he missed at UFC 196.
While there is a new 155-pound champion these days in Eddie Alvarez and a backlog of contenders in Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson and Michael Chiesa, there is no question that Alvarez vs. McGregor is the biggest fight that can be made at 155 pounds. The fact that Alvarez called out McGregor after taking the title speaks to that.
Granted, there is a possibility that the stars could align for this to happen. Once again, however, White's proclamations need to be taken with a grain (or two...or 10) of salt.
