RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — UFC president Dana White is confident that Conor McGregor will face Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring, but UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo isn’t quite so sure.
Aldo, who effectively recaptured the featherweight belt with a win over Frankie Edgar, is skeptical of such a big fight coming together, particularly with the UFC having to work a collaborative promotional effort with Mayweather.
"We have a contract with the UFC, every athlete does, and everything has to go through the UFC,” Aldo said during a media scrum in Rio de Janeiro. "It’s hard for Mayweather to accept a fight with [McGregor] being a UFC fighter. He does boxing events, so it’s 80 percent for him and 20 percent for the rest. It’s the opposite in the UFC. The UFC makes 80 and athletes make 20. That’s what happens. That's the real story.
“So it’s not about Conor signing the contract or not, it’s Mayweather accepting to make less, or make his event.”
Scheduled to compete against interim champion Max Holloway on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro, Aldo doubts he will ever get his chance to avenge the quick loss to “The Notorious” inside the Octagon.
"Never, never,” Aldo said. "I think it was close once. Today, with this fight between the UFC and him, from both sides. The UFC has tried to do this fight, and he didn’t want it. He’s running. He won't accept it. But we’ll see. I don’t know if this fight happens.
"Like I said, many people talk. But talking in the media is easy. I can come here and say I’m going to fight the boxing world champion, the kickboxing champion. Cool, you will all post this, you’ll be all over the news, create some talk. It might become true, but it never stops being a lie.”
Aldo has stated many times that he’s willing to move up to 155 pounds to get his rematch with McGregor, but — at this point — emphasizes that it wouldn’t change his life if he never gets a second bout with the Irishman.
"Well, I don’t think about McGregor today. I couldn't care less what he’s doing,” Aldo said. "Like I said, I want to remain champion, I want big fights. If one day I fight him, great. If not, I’ll continue my life, continue being champion, continue being the same person, fighting and winning. I don’t think about Conor today. I only talk about Conor because you ask. F*ck him."
Watch the scrum video below (click on the CC button on player for English translations).