Conor McGregor receives apology from old rival Jose Aldo as UFC legend reveals talks to fight Floyd Mayweather in Saudi
JOSE ALDO issued a heartfelt apology to Conor McGregor after exploding at his old UFC rival earlier this month.
The former long-reigning UFC featherweight champion launched a blistering attack on the Irishman after getting wind of his callout following his boxing match with Jeremy Stephens.
McGregor tweeted: "Me and Aldo should box."
A fired-up Aldo branded McGregor a "big mouth" who "talks a lot of s**t" - insults he's since retracted.
The Brazilian - who has gone 1-0-1 since entering the boxing world - told : “I was a little heated.
“I had just re-watched the match in the locker room and I had won, everybody said it, and right after that a reporter asked me [about McGregor’s comments], and I hadn’t seen what Conor had said.
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"I called him names, laughed a lot, because of that."
Aldo - who had his decade-long unbeaten streak ended by McGregor in December 2015 - messaged the Dubliner on social media to apologise for his uncharacteristic outburst.
He revealed: "When I got to Brazil, I messaged him apologizing because I saw it wasn’t his intention to challenge me.
"He was trying to give me a push.
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"I misunderstood [his intentions]. But we’re cool again. Conor is my friend. I wish him all the best.”
Aldo, 36, went into his clash with Stephens with a Saudi showdown with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr in the works for later this year.
But a lucrative clash with the former five-weight world champion has seemingly been put on the back burner.
He said: “Ali [Abdelaziz] had already negotiated with [Mayweather’s] staff and it was agreed with the Saudi Arabia people, the sheikh.
“But I think they’re liking what I’m showing in boxing and it’s creating a euphoria to aim at bigger things as well.
"We’re not past the idea of boxing Mayweather, it might happen, but we have other plans first.
“I wanted to build a career in boxing like everybody does, to start against easier opponents and earn experience until you get there.
"But given the name I have, it’s hard to take the same path everybody else does.
"We’re trying to choose the right fight. Jeremy was way heavier than me now.
"I was at 157 pounds when I went to the arena on fight night and he was over 177. There was a huge difference.
“As soon as the fight ended, Ali said we won, but we had to fight on the right weight class. I’ll fight at 140.
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"But since new opportunities have come around in boxing, maybe this Mayweather match will have to wait a little bit.”
Former two-division champion McGregor, 34, is set to throw down with Michael Chandler in his comeback fight later this year - although a date for the bout has yet to be finalised.