Jose Aldo says he 'cried a lot' after Conor McGregor loss because he knew there would be no rematch

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo says the tears captured in his locker room after his 13-second knockout loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 194 were not about the defeat itself. Speaking to Brazilian outlet Mundo da Luta, in comments reported by MMA Fighting on Wednesday, October 28, Aldo said he broke down because Dana White told him that night that a rematch with McGregor would never happen.

'It was the last time he was going to make featherweight'

McGregor ended Aldo's long reign with a single left hand at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on December 12, 2015. The UFC later released footage of a devastated Aldo surrounded by his team in the locker room, one of the most replayed images of that era. Aldo said his first thought after the loss was that he would get the fight back.

"I cried a lot because, in my mind, after I lost, I thought, 'F***, there's going to be a rematch because I was a dominant champion,'" Aldo said, according to MMA Fighting. "Up until that point, I was the first and only featherweight champion in history. So, in my mind, I thought, 'There's going to be a rematch, I'm going to fight him again, and it's going to be a whole new story.'"

That changed when the UFC boss came in.

"But then Dana comes [to the locker room] and tells me that Conor can't make weight anymore, so they can't do that fight," Aldo said. "[White] said he was going to move up to lightweight because it was too difficult for him [to make 145] and he couldn't do it anymore. It was the last time he was going to make featherweight, win or lose."

"That's why I was crying," he added. "Everyone thinks I was crying because I lost. No, I was crying because I knew we weren't going to fight again. There was no way for me to get that win back, you know?"

The rematch that never came

Aldo had called for an immediate rematch inside the Octagon that night, telling Joe Rogan, "I think after this fight, we have to go for a rematch," and promising he would be "better prepared to reclaim what is mine." McGregor never fought at featherweight again and went on to win the UFC lightweight title. Aldo later regained the 145-pound belt in McGregor's absence and eventually dropped to bantamweight for another title run.

There was one brief opening. As Bloody Elbow has recounted, when Rafael dos Anjos withdrew from his UFC 196 fight with McGregor in early 2016, the short-notice slot was offered to Aldo. He turned it down, later explaining to Ariel Helwani that "any professional needs time to train" and that "it's not a cockfight." Nate Diaz took the fight instead.

Aldo retired for a second time at UFC Rio in October 2025, after a comeback run that included a win over Jonathan Martinez and decision losses to Mario Bautista and Aiemann Zahabi, closing the door on the rematch for good.

From rivals to friends

The two former rivals have since built a friendly relationship, according to MMA Fighting. Aldo has advised McGregor to return to lightweight, and in September he said he was sad to see the Irishman's long-awaited comeback end early. McGregor's return against Max Holloway at UFC 329 in July was stopped after 69 seconds when his knee gave way, and he later said he had torn his ACL and meniscus.

"I hope he can come back, recover, and return to the octagon," Aldo told MMA Fighting in September. "We don't know if he'll come back in his prime, if he'll come back at a high level, considering how much time he's been away."

Still the featherweight GOAT for some

Aldo's legacy at 145 pounds is back in the conversation after Alexander Volkanovski stopped Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 last weekend. On The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday, UFC featherweight Jean Silva said he still ranks Aldo above Volkanovski as the greatest featherweight of all time.

"We're talking about 10 years undefeated and being a champion. That has a lot of weight, and I think Volk would agree," Silva said. "If there's someone who has the authority and experience to speak on this, it's Volkanovski himself, and I think he would say it."