In perhaps the most surprising interview of the year, Jose Aldo has defended Conor McGregor after the Bellator 187 incident. Now that’s something you didn’t expect to hear…
During a highly publicised scuffle at Bellator 187, Conor McGregor pretty much lost it. While his friend and teammate Charlie Ward took on John Redmond, McGregor unleashed the crazy in an instant viral confrontation.
Perhaps making things worse was the fact Marc Goddard was officiating that night. This was the very same referee who’d demanded McGregor remain calm during Artem Lobov’s fight with Andre Fili in Gdansk.
Jumping the cage in the final second of round one, McGregor essentially ordered the referee to stop the fight. Although Redmond was clearly stunned, no official decision had been rendered at this point in the fight.
Making this even worse again, McGregor put his hands on Goddard before slapping a commission official in the face. Needless to say, Bellator was soaking up the limelight.
McGregor’s Madness Defended by Jose Aldo…Wait, WHAT?!?
After giving his promotion’s biggest competitors a ton of attention, and temporarily smearing MMA’s image, McGregor was in the media doghouse. His apology was somewhat shallow, but an apology nonetheless.
Further videos of ‘The Notorious’ claiming Goddard was ‘a rat’ didn’t do the situation any favors. Still, at least McGregor has his old buddy Jose Aldo for support. No, seriously. After knocking out Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 to claim the featherweight title, nobody expected this.
Check out the interview below…
“It’s Normal”
During an interview with MMAFighting.com, former two-time 145-pond boss Jose Aldo shocked the MMA world:
“How many times have I invaded the Shooto (cage) when someone close to me is fighting?” Aldo 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.”
“I haven’t seen the video, but I heard about it,” Aldo said. “I think it’s normal. He’s an emotional guy, and when an Irishman is the fighter the Irish people embrace them a lot. I don’t condemn him.”
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“He didn’t do that for attention, he’s done that 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.”
Wo, a very surprising turn of events, especially considering this is the same man who blasted McGregor for over a year after their fight. Obviously, the entire ordeal of fighting McGregor was long and drawn out, filled with emotional battery.
Aldo prepares for his rematch against Max Holloway after Frankie Edgar dropped out. Is this interview the sign of a changed man? Maybe so…
