This weekend, Jose Aldo returns to the Octagon to make the first defense of his UFC featherweight title against interim titleholder Max Holloway. Though by all accounts the bout is one of the most sensational fights possible to make in the sport today, it’s also a bout shrouded in controversy.

Aldo was the UFC’s first featherweight champion, having been awarded the UFC belt when the WEC was merged into the organization in 2010. He successfully defended his title seven times over the next four years before losing the belt to Conor McGregor in a humiliating 13 second defeat in 2015. Aldo rebounded by winning an interim title last July, defeating Frankie Edgar in their rematch while McGregor pursued his own rematch with Nate Diaz. Then, when McGregor won the lightweight title at UFC 205, Aldo was promoted to undisputed featherweight champion as the UFC stripped McGregor of his second belt. So, though Aldo is defending the undisputed UFC featherweight title this weekend, the echos of Conor McGregor linger over the Brazilian’s title and, according to some, over his entire career in general.

On a recent episode of his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, UFC commentator Joe Rogan talked about the upcoming UFC 212 card and the featherweight champion, saying that despite all he’s accomplished, Aldo will have a blemish on his legacy forever because of the loss to McGregor..

“Aldo’s legacy and his reign is always gonna be tarnished by that 13 seconds against McGregor. Which is so crazy because you take away that fight and he’s got one brutal war with Chad Mendes where he got rocked and stunned, which is a tough fight - the second one - great fight. And those are the only hard moments he’s had inside the octagon other than maybe round five against Ricardo Lamas. Lamas had him down and was doing a little bit of ground and pound in the fifth round and that was Aldo was too drained making that weight, but he’s smaller now. He generally looks smaller. He definitely chose to slim down because he was having unbelievably brutal weight cuts early in his career. He was just too big for the weight class so he just chose to slim his body down.”

The knockout loss to McGregor was Aldo’s first defeat since a 2005 lightweight bout in which he was submitted and his first loss ever at featherweight. At the time, Aldo was one of the top ranked pound-for-pound fighters in the world, having beaten all of the top competition with relative ease. In his UFC run, Aldo only lost a handful of rounds and was never in serious jeopardy of losing his title and after he did lose it, Aldo rebounded by turning in arguably the best performance of his career, dismantling all-time great Frankie Edgar.

Still, for a large swath of the MMA fanbase, McGregor’s left hand killshot has invalidated the rest of Aldo’s illustrious career.

Jose Aldo defend the UFC featherweight title against interim champion Max Holloway this Saturday, June 3rd at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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MUST-READ STORIES

She back. Ronda Rousey will lead a team on ABC’s revival of “Battle of the Network Stars.”

Vision. Georges St-Pierre says his vision “has not recovered 100 percent yet.”

Fight. Cody Garbrandt wants fights with T.J. Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson when he returns.

Easy money. Tony Ferguson dismisses Al Iaquinta call out as “an easy fight.”

Quality. Roy Nelson says he signed with Bellator for a better “quality of life.”

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VIDEO STEW

Embedded.

Given it’s fight week, here’s an Aldo tribute.

Mayweather could look like shit and it wouldn’t matter.

Smilin’ Sam.

Joanna on TMZ.

TTTHS.

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LISTEN UP

Fight Society. Max Holloway and Raphael Assuncao interviews.

Believe You Me. Bisping talks his knee injury and Whittaker-Romero.

Anik and Flo. Stockholm recap and UFC 212 preview.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Beat the over on the retirement at least.

This whole GDR situation is surreal.

Congrats.

And of course Jimi gotta get in.

Back up for auction.

If the UFC can’t market Stipe, they suck at their jobs.

Yoel.

Perfection.

Ferguson is angry.

Jason Momoa doing the Haka for Hunto.

F**king disgusting.

Good to know.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Alan Jouban (15-5) vs. Brian Camozzi (7-3); UFC 213, July 8.

Leslie Smith (9-7-1) vs. Lina Lansberg (7-2); UFC Fight Night Glasgow, July 16.

Brian Ortega (11-0-1) vs. Renato Moicano (11-0-1); UFC 214, July 29.

Stefan Struve (28-8) vs. Alexander Volkov (28-6); UFC Fight Night Rotterdam, Sept. 2.

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TODAY IN MMA HISTORY

2014: The UFC held two events on the same day for only the second time in the company’s history. At UFC Fight Night 41, Gegard Mousasi submitted Mark Munoz and in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale, Stipe Miocic knocked out Fabio Maldonado in 35 seconds.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Sorry for not having TMR for y’all yesterday. I caught a mean bit of stomach flu and I’ve been battling that the last few days. But we’re back in the saddle now and just in time for the best fight of the year. Aldo-Holloway is one of the very best fights that can be made in all of MMA, and we’re lucky that it looks like it’s actually gonna happen. Personally, I can’t wait.

Have a good one and see y’all tomorrow.

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