Aldo: Mayweather-McGregor 'a Joke,' No Way McGregor Can Win

The last fighter Conor McGregor upset by knockout can’t envision McGregor doing it again August 26.

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo told the Los Angeles Times for a story posted to the newspaper’s website Monday that there’s “no way” McGregor can beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. later this month in Las Vegas. Brazil’s Aldo also called the Mayweather-McGregor fight “a joke” because Mayweather is such a better boxer than McGregor.

This situation is nothing, according to Aldo, like when McGregor connected with a left hand and needed just 13 seconds to halt Aldo’s 18-fight winning streak in their December 2015 fight at UFC 194 in Las Vegas. Aldo hadn’t lost in more than 10 years before McGregor beat him.

“There is no comparison,” Aldo told the Los Angeles Times. “It is not similar. Totally different. There is no way McGregor can defeat Mayweather. Mayweather has done this his entire life and it’s a different sport.”

Las Vegas’ Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) is 40 years old and hasn’t boxed since he retired following his relatively easy, unanimous-decision victory over Andre Berto in September 2015. But Ireland’s McGregor, while a two-division UFC champion and 21-3 in MMA (18 KOs), has never participated in a professional boxing match.

Their 154-pound boxing match also is scheduled for 12 rounds, which could last a lot longer than any of his mixed martial arts matches.

The disparity in their experience and skill levels hasn’t diminished interest in their fight worldwide, though. McGregor might earn $100 million from his boxing debut, a windfall Aldo suspects could make McGregor, 29, retire from fighting altogether.

“After Mayweather,” Also said, “when he gets lots of millions of dollars, he’ll probably never fight again.”

Aldo doesn’t buy the supreme confidence McGregor has displayed during the buildup toward their fight, either. According to the Los Angeles Times, Aldo shook his head affirmatively when asked if McGregor is pulling off one of the greatest con jobs in sports history.

“It’s a joke,” Aldo said. “He’s just looking for the money.”

As for his own loss to McGregor, Aldo simply thinks McGregor got “lucky” by landing a left hand that completely changed McGregor’s career.

“He and you can say whatever you want,” Aldo said. “But he was a lucky guy to get the one punch and finish it. There was nothing more to it than that.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.