Jose Aldo claims that Holloway’s attempts at trash talking and mind games prior to their UFC 212 unification fight sound similar to those employed by Conor McGregor prior to their meeting at UFC 194.
Max Holloway is one of the UFC’s hardest working and consistent performers. “Blessed” has worked his way into a title-unification fight with slick skills, determination and above all, extreme graft. It is fair to say that the Hawaiian is, on the contrary, not best known for his trash talk. UFC featherweight title-holder Jose Aldo for one would attest to this.
In consideration of Holloway’s humble reputation, and one in which he allows his fighting to do the talking, recent verbal attacks on the man who saw his ten-year unbeaten record fall apart under the straight left of McGregor after just 13 seconds at UFC 194 seem strange (but familiar).
Conor McGregor launched what is now a legendary campaign of mental warfare at the Brazilian leading up to their fight in December 2015, which many observers claimed paved the way for Aldo’s literal fall inside the octagon. Holloway’s recent comments made in relation to Aldo do appear to have at least have been inspired by the Dubliner’s attack on “Scarface”:
“This is what kings do. Kings go to other kings’ villages and they take over. That’s what they do and that’s what I have planned come June 3rd. I’m gonna go there and show everybody why I’m a king and what better place to do it than in his backyard, in his own village.”
Holloway’s words on a recent episode of Submission Radio are not exactly unique in their composition. Aldo recently spoke to Brazilian reporters in a media scrum, and brought up his future opponent’s familiar style of trash talking:
“I think [Holloway] is using this side because Conor won and everybody thinks he was inside my head. No, I’ll get in there and fight the same way. It’s a fight. One hand connects and the fight is over. That night I was unhappy, but I’ve made many people cry before. So that’s it. One day you cry, one day you smile. Next time you can be sure I’ll be smiling and happy.”
And as for Holloway’s threat to take over Rio? Aldo shut it down immediately: “F–k no. Bullsh-t. He won’t take anything.”
“Fu*k no: bullsh*t. He won’t take anything.”
“He’s just another one who will try, and he doesn’t know how trained I am. I’m excited about this fight because of everything he said. That only motivated me every time he talked. You can be sure that he won’t take any kingdom here(via MMAFighting).”
“I’ll knock him out,” added the South American ‘Scarface’. “You can be sure that there’s a knockout coming.”
