Jose Aldo reveals he and Conor McGregor are now ‘friends’

Jose Aldo revealed his friendship with Conor McGregor.

Jose Aldo spoke to the media after his Hall of Fame induction was announced at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro. While the event showcased some of Brazil’s finest MMA talents, it also honored the King of Rio’s career.

Of course, Aldo was asked about his rivalry with Conor McGregor. And Aldo revealed that he and the Irishman’s feud is water under the bridge.

“I do have a lot of respect for Conor McGregor. We’re friends,” Aldo said. “We even follow each other on Instagram. We exchange dialogue there.”

McGregor also showed his appreciation for Aldo on Twitter. Retweeting the news of the honor with the caption “Earned!”

Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor’s rivalry will go down in history

Aldo went undefeated for nearly a decade before losing the UFC featherweight strap to McGregor in 2015. The UFC paraded a media tour across five countries to promote the fight. During this time, Aldo suffered a massive verbal and mental beatdown from McGregor. While Aldo had to pull out of the initial bout, McGregor would beat Chad Mendes for the interim belt. Five months later, McGregor knocked Aldo out in 13 seconds to become the undisputed champion.

The fight skyrocketed the McGregor hype train. McGregor went on to win the UFC lightweight belt, becoming the organization’s first double champ and the sport’s most prominent star. Meanwhile, Aldo, though failing to become a champion again, did not let the defeat tarnish his legacy. After McGregor, he fought some of the UFC’s best featherweights, including Frankie Edgar, Max Holloway, and Alexander Volkanovski. He also went down to bantamweight and fought Petr Yan and Marlon “Chito” Vera. Aldo won six of his next 12 fights post-McGregor before retiring in 2022.

“Sometimes fans come up to me and say, ‘hey, do you feel like beating [up] McGregor or something?'” Aldo added. “I say, ‘how can I do that? That’s the guy who gave me the most money.'”