Online betting fans know that UFC fights often tend to be a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair – like when Conor McGregor knocked the living daylights out of Jose Aldo in 13 seconds – but the company seems to be taking a page out of WWE’s book and getting the F out – the F stands for fighting, of course. Could the day when UFC becomes UEC (Ultimate Entertainment Championship) be too far off?
Probably, but just handing out title belts without actually there being a fight first is definitely a miscarriage of justice the like of which has not been seen since the Finger Poke of Doom. Like, it would have been a different story if Conor McGregor has lost his smile, but we figure he could not wipe that grin off his face even if he wanted to.
We have to hand it to Jose Aldo, though; he must have studied The Art of War and learned that to subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. In other words, he found one of the few ways there are to beat McGregor, and that is through a loophole. Also, we’re not quite sure, but Aldo may or may not be quoting Sun Tzu directly when he allegedly calls McGregor a “fight-dodging p****” and a “coward.” Then again these statements were made in an interview to Brazilian TV show Planeta SporTV and in a separate interview with the UFC website in Brazil so, you know, something may have been lost – or gained – in translation.
Aldo added that, in his mind, McGregor “was never champion” and he (Aldo) “was always the champion,” and only stopped being the champion because of an “accident,” and that “as long as I’m in the featherweight division… I will always be the champion.” Online betting odds at most sportsbooks be damned, we guess.
Under normal circumstances we would mock Aldo’s complete disconnect with reality, especially considering that the “accident” he refers to was actually McGregor’s vaunted left hook. However, Aldo does make a few good points; for starters, the Notorious One failed to defend the featherweight title once in 11 months. Second, if UFC is just going to give the belt back to Aldo out of the clear blue sky, he can confidently feel that he’s going to be champion forever.
On the other hand, Aldo’s hubris may very well be his undoing. Apparently he will not be content to leave well enough alone and actually wants a rematch with McGregor at 155 pounds – but only after he has defended his featherweight title against the winner of the Anthony Pettis-Max Holloway interim featherweight title match at UFC 206.
As for the former featherweight champ, McGregor coach John Kavanagh called the UFC’s decision “ridiculous” and said the Irish brawler is “very disappointed with how [the company] went about doing it.” Which somehow doesn’t bode well for Aldo. It’s like when your parents say, “I’m not mad at you; I’m just disappointed,” you know like, that hurts so much more. When and if that rematch happens, it’s very doubtful that the online betting odds will favor Aldo.