Jose Aldo Shares Emotional Backstory on Why He ‘Cried a Lot’ After Conor McGregor Fight

Jose Aldo’s shocking 13-second knockout loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 194 is still considered one of the best moments in UFC history. It changed the Brazilian’s career forever, while McGregor went on to become a legendary fighter.

After losing the game, Aldo was seen crying and many thought he was sad at losing the featherweight title. However, he has now revealed that there was another reason for his tears.

Jose Aldo reveals real reason for crying after Conor McGregor knockout loss

During the UFC 194 fight on December 12, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Aldo charged forward and was caught by McGregor’s left hand. The Irishman needed just 13 seconds to claim the featherweight title. 

Aldo has revealed that the knockout loss was not the only reason he broke down in tears. He admitted that he was hoping to secure an immediate rematch against McGregor to regain his title, and that a conversation with UFC CEO Dana White crushed that hope.

Speaking on Mundo da Luta, Aldo explained why he really cried after the loss. He said, “I cried a lot because after I lost, I thought, ‘F*ck, there’s going to be a rematch because I was a dominant champion.’ Up until that point, I was the first and only featherweight champion in history. So, in my mind, I thought, ‘There’s going to be a rematch, I’m going to fight him again, and it’s going to be a whole new story.’”

He then added that White came and revealed that a rematch won't be happening, “But then Dana comes and tells me that Conor can’t make weight anymore, so they can’t do that fight. White said he was going to move up to lightweight because it was too difficult for him to make 145 and he couldn’t do it anymore. It was the last time he was going to make featherweight, win or lose.”

He finished with, “That’s why I was crying. Everyone thinks I was crying because I lost. No, I was crying because I knew we weren’t going to fight again. There was no way for me to get that win back, you know?”

The loss had ended Aldo’s dominant 18-fight winning streak that he had built for nearly 10 years. 

Throughout the global media tour before the fight, McGregor used relentless trash talk to get into his opponent’s mind.

McGregor subsequently moved to lightweight and defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016, becoming the UFC’s first simultaneous two-division champion.

Aldo had won the interim featherweight title at UFC 200 in July 2016 and became undisputed champion again after McGregor was stripped of the belt.

The UFC did not attempt to get McGregor back to the featherweight division as it became increasingly difficult for him to make the weight cut, and due to demand for other blockbuster fights.

Conor McGregor's coach shuts down injury conspiracy theory

McGregor recently lost his return fight against Max Holloway, and sustained a severe knee injury. Many conspiracy theories became viral after the fight on social media, claiming he entered the fight with an injury.

McGregor's longtime head coach John Kavanagh, dismissed these claims during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. He said, “For the conspiracy theorists out there, he walked in with no injury. Zero injury. There was absolutely no injury. I can guarantee you that he was 100 percent going in. In fact, probably more healthy going into this one than the last few.”

He also revealed that McGregor was aggressively working through his rehabilitation, and could make a potential comeback in the Octagon sometime next year. He currently has one fight remaining on his exclusive UFC promotional contract and intends to fulfill it.

It remains to be seen what Conor McGregor will do next.