Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo ‘does not condemn’ Conor McGregor for his behavior during Bellator 187 in Dublin recently
Aldo, quite surprisingly, has rationalized the actions of the man who knocked him out in 13-seconds to end a 10-year unbeaten run in MMA and claim his UFC title.
“Scarface” has never hidden his disdain for McGregor partly due to the intense mental and verbal warfare the Irishman directed at him prior to his UFC 194 loss. This time, however, Aldo has been more than diplomatic towards his former rival:
“I haven’t seen the video, but I heard about it,” Aldo said during a media day in Rio de Janeiro (via MMAFighting.com). “I think it’s normal. He’s an emotional guy, and when an Irishman is fighting the Irish people embrace them a lot. I don’t condemn him.”
“He [Conor McGregor] didn’t do that for attention, he’s done that [displayed type of behavior] before. When we did The Ultimate Fighter, an athlete from his team won and he went up there and in there, he even tore his pants. He’s really emotional, and I don’t condemn him for what he’s done.”
Aldo went as far as to compare his own behavior in the past to that of McGregor’s in Dublin:
“How many times have I invaded the Shooto (cage) when someone close to me is fighting?” the former champion said. “I really go there. The referee talks to me, but I still do it. I think it’s the heat of the moment, but there are bigger things than just the rules.”
