Jose Aldo foresees a scenario where he doesn’t fight Conor McGregor next

After McGregor vs. Diaz II, it’s very likely that we’re going to see the rematch between ‘The Notorious’ and Jose Aldo.

Aldo claimed the interim iteration of the featherweight title he held for so long at UFC 200, setting himself up for a unification rematch with McGregor.

But there’s one scenario which will result in McGregor not dropping straight back down to featherweight after UFC 202, the event at which the Irishman will be gunning for revenge against Nate Diaz.

If McGregor avenges his UFC 196 defeat to Diaz, a rubber match will be left hanging tantalisingly in the air, surrounded by dollar signs.

And Aldo thinks that the potential for a shot at McGregor will be dependent on the Dubliner’s success in the Diaz rematch.

“If he loses, it is very likely we both fight in November at Madison Square Garden,” Aldo said, in quotes appearing in Combate. “The Irish community is huge there. But if he wins, I think the UFC will put together a third fight between the two and disrupt all my plans.”

Aldo is champing at the bit to reclaim the 145 lb belt that he lost when he was knocked out by McGregor in just 13 seconds last December.

He moved a step closer to that goal by getting past Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 for the interim title, after which he had the opportunity to confront a cageside McGregor.

“It was spontaneous,” he said “I knew he was there. In between rounds, when I went to the corner, I saw him just sitting there. Then when the fight was over, I just turned around and said that he was next.”

Aldo has revealed that the gameplan for his first meeting with McGregor was heavily grappling-oriented but he didn’t get the chance to drag the fight to the mat as he was finished in the opening moments.

“In the first fight I wanted to use it (use Jiu-Jitsu),” Aldo said. “The problem was that I didn’t have time. We trained a lot on the ground and that was already in my mind, all tested. In the locker room we drilled a lot.

“I spent two hours warming up my ground game, going over the positions and everything we wanted to do in the fight. But when the time arrived, I did not have time. But we will see next time around.”

If McGregor does not decide to return to featherweight, Aldo has also identified the next contender for a fight for the vacant title in New York.

“If the fight goes to (Max) Holloway, I do not see any problem,” Aldo said. “This event in New York will be for history. I hope I’m on this card because I want to be part of history.”