Conor McGregor put aside his mutual hatred with Jose Aldo after UFC 194.
McGregor had just knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds to become the undisputed featherweight champion when they fought almost 10 years ago.
McGregor became UFC featherweight champion after knocking out Aldo in 2015GETTYThe main event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena in December 2015 remains one of the best UFC KOs of all time at a time when ‘The Notorious’ was in his prime.
Aldo, unsurprisingly, was devastated as he waited in the Octagon’s centre for UFC announcer Bruce Buffer to confirm his 10-year winning run had come to a brutal end.
McGregor spotted the heartbroken Brazilian with his head down and decided to drop his bad guy act to offer kind words during a tough moment for the ‘King of Rio’.
Heartwarming footage shows the Irishman tapping his rival on the shoulder and apologising for the fact their eagerly anticipated fight ended so quickly.
McGregor then promised to give Aldo a rematch, but it never happened.
Aldo has since fought 14 times in the UFC and is making his 23rd appearance for the promotion this weekend at UFC 315.
The No. 11-ranked bantamweight takes on Canadian Aiemann Zahabi in Montreal on Saturday night, before two title fights see out the stacked card as Belal Muhammad defends his UFC welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena in the headline act.
On the flip side, McGregor has made half the number of appearances as the Brazilian since his iconic KO, and his return has seemed less likely than ever before.
“I’m sorry. We will go again. We’ll go again,” he told Aldo with a thumbs up after his quick knockout at UFC 194.
McGregor was understandably delighted with his win and talked up his power during a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, but he also expressed sympathy for Aldo
Aldo looked distraught about the defeatUFC And even McGregor felt sorry for himUFC So the Irishman tried to cheer him up with a rematch offerUFC“Nobody can take that left-hand shot,” he said.
“I tell you, he’s powerful and he’s fast, but precision beats power and timing beats speed.
“Honestly, I feel for Jose. He was a phenomenal champion and we deserved to go a bit longer.
‘But I do feel, at the end of the day, precision beats power and timing beats speed.
“So, it would’ve happened sooner or later.”
McGregor’s reaction to beating Aldo was somewhat surprising due to the fact the two featherweights had one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history before their fight.
GettyMcGregor and Aldo shared one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history[/caption] But shot was all the Irishman needed to end Aldo’s title reignGetty Images Nonetheless, their battle is etched in UFC history foreverUFC CEO Dana White took the two men on a world tour where all hell broke loose ahead of their ill-fated fight at UFC 189, which fell apart when Aldo suffered a rib injury and was replaced by Chad Mendes.
McGregor famously snatched Aldo’s UFC belt and held it aloft for several seconds as everyone at the Dublin press conference cheered him on.
It was typical of McGregor’s behaviour before their fight, which included farting in Aldo’s direction, grabbing his neck and using every bad name under the sun.
Amazingly, the two UFC legends have struck up a friendship in recent years.
In December 2023, Aldo sent McGregor a ‘congrats’ following the birth of the Irishman’s fourth child.
Aldo retired from MMA after losing to current UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in August 2022, but ended his spell on the sidelines by rolling back the years to edge a unanimous decision win against Jonathan Martinez last May.
This set up a fight with Mario Bautista, who he lost to at UFC 307 in October by split decision.
McGregor, meanwhile, was meant to return to action in the main event of UFC 303 last June against Michael Chandler.
However, his long-awaited return was cancelled after he injured a pinky toe when training for the blockbuster event.
Chandler then lost to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, and was dominated by Paddy Pimblett in his last fight at UFC 314 in April.
This has left several MMA fans excited over a potential bout between Pimblett and McGregor, to which the former has said would sell out Anfield (the home of Liverpool FC).
McGregor, 36, hasn’t fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier, but talkSPORT’s Blake Harrison believes Pimblett is the only lightweight he ‘could’ beat on his return.
McGregor hasn’t returned to fighting since injuring himself against Poiriergetty Several MMA fans believe Pimblett could be the one to welcome him back“Conor is no spring chicken anymore,” Harrison said on talkMMA.
“Having been out of the cage for so long, and there’s certain videos out there on the internet you can look aT, he doesn’t look like he’s in the best mindset and shape and all these things.
“I’m looking down the rankings at lightweight. There’s not a single fight in the whole top 15 that I would favour him in.
“I do think that a big fight you could make that he could win, but probably wouldn’t. But it would be huge. It’s Paddy Pimblett.”
UFC CEO White said McGregor ‘will fight in 2025’ back in October, but has since been a little more doubtful when speaking on his return.
“Conor? I’m not sure when Conor will be back,” he sighed during a press conference at UFC Saudi Arabia in February.
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