Jose Aldo would love to see Conor McGregor return in vintage form against Michael Chandler at UFC 303.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will come back from an almost three-year long layoff to face Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in a welterweight main event June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Aldo’s great UFC featherweight title reign came to an end at the hands of McGregor, who knocked him out in just 13 seconds to dethrone him. But despite their rivalry, “The King of Rio” wishes McGregor well.
“I have great expectations for that fight,” Aldo told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “And as I always say, I always root for the guys who I fought and the guys who have beaten me because, you know, that just proves that I lost to the best and I lost to champions.
“So I hope that he can go in there and be the Conor of old, and be aggressive, and go in there to finish the fight, and not leave it to the judges. But you know, I expect great things from that fight.”
UFC Hall of Famer Aldo (31-8 MMA, 13-7 UFC) will come out of retirement to face Jonathan Martinez in the UFC 301 co-main event on May 4, which takes place at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). The Martinez fight marks the final fight on his current UFC contract.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.