Jose Aldo responds to Frankie Edgar’s criticism: ‘F--k him’

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Despite a few rumors, Jose Aldo is healthy and ready to fight on July 9, but that didn’t stop his UFC 200 opponent Frankie Edgar to take shots at the former featherweight champion.

In a recent interview, Edgar said he highly doubts the Brazilian ever fought with an injury before.

"We were supposed to fight earlier and he had a little boo-boo on his foot from a motorcycle accident and we had to reschedule. I highly doubt he's ever fought injured," Edgar said to FOX Sports. "If he did, he must fight injured all the time because how much does this guy pull out of fights?"

Aldo responded to Edgar during a UFC 200 media day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"You have to know if you’re injured or not before talking," said Aldo, criticizing his opponent for believing in rumors. "I couldn’t care less what he says or doesn’t say. I know I’m training hard here. I will be in great shape in the fight. I’m hungry to win this fight. There was no fight last time (against Conor McGregor), so we’ll see.

"I couldn’t care less. F--k him. I don’t care. I care about my gym and my training. We’ll settle that face to face."

The Brazilian who looks to rebound from a quick loss to McGregor last December, losing the UFC belt he held for years. An interim title will be on the line when the Brazilian enters the Octagon to battle "The Answer", and he has changed a few things in his training for the rematch.

"I know I can evolve a lot," said Aldo, who defeated Edgar via unanimous decision in 2013. "Something I always liked to train is kickboxing. I did it every day, but stopped doing it recently. I missed that a little. I wanted to compete in jiu-jitsu too, but had no time available. But I’m up to date in this area. I see myself as the Jose Aldo from WEC again."

Vowing to bring back his aggressive style to the cage, Aldo expects his punches and kicks to be too much for the former UFC lightweight champion.

"My striking. He won’t even see me," Aldo said. "If he thinks he’s fast, it’s a whole different speed. He will be frustrated standing in there.

"(Edgar) was doing five-round fights, except the last one. Chad (Mendes) was better, controlling the fight, and (Edgar) connected a punch and it’s over. I don’t see this big evolution, no. He’s adapting to the weight cut, but outside of that, I don’t see a big deal. He thinks he’s fast, but I don’t see him being that fast."

Despite all the animosity between the pair of featherweights, Aldo won’t let his emotions play a factor during the fight. To control his anxiety and desire to punch Edgar in the face, "Scarface" will look back at his UFC 194 clash with McGregor.

"Remember what happened in the last fight, that (McGregor) caught me and I went down. We have to be careful because a punch can end the fight," Aldo said. "I want to go in there and do my job, and I know (nobody) will get close to me."