Jose Aldo has given his take on the upcoming Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway rematch set for UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Aldo, who previously fought both men and lost his UFC featherweight title to McGregor by 13-second knockout at UFC 194, sees the welterweight clash as tightly matched despite oddsmakers favoring Holloway. "For me it's a very competitive fight," Aldo said.
"McGregor may be the betting underdog, but honestly, I think he has a better chance of beating Max today than he had of beating Khabib back then. The favorite is Max Holloway, not because he's vastly superior, but because he's still active. He's fighting regularly, coming off strong performances and staying in competition mode. Conor is an unknown quantity. We haven't seen him fight in a very long time," Aldo explained.
Reflecting on his own experiences, Aldo noted the contrast between his brief encounter with McGregor and his two TKO losses to Holloway in 2017. "Against Conor, I didn't get much time in there," he said. "The fight ended far too quickly. I didn't really get the chance to feel everything he brings to the table. With Max, though, I spent much more time inside the octagon with him. He's an extremely intelligent fighter, with very refined boxing, great fight IQ and an excellent ability to absorb shots."
Aldo still warns against counting McGregor out: "That doesn't mean Conor can't go in there and knock him out... The biggest question right now is simply which version of McGregor is going to show up on fight night."
