UFC Icon Jose Aldo Shares Sad Dana White Chat After Conor McGregor Loss

Former UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo had a chance to reflect on his legendary MMA career and revisited his Dec. 2015 loss to Conor McGregor while doing so.

The fight, which headlined UFC 194 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in one of the final UFC-numbered events to occur at the iconic venue (the UFC would later sign a deal with T-Mobile Arena), saw Aldo's featherweight title run come to an abrupt halt by way of a 13-second knockout from the Irish star.

The outcome changed the course of MMA for both men. Aldo would never win another title despite facing Max Holloway twice for featherweight gold at UFC 212 and UFC 218 in 2017, before eventually moving down to bantamweight and losing to Petr Yan in a vacant title fight in July 2020 at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi.

Jose Aldo Recalls UFC Loss to Conor McGregor

Jose Aldo at UFC 311. — May 10, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Jose Aldo (red gloves) prepares to fight Aiemann Zahabi (not pictured) during UFC 315 at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But for Aldo, he told Mundo da Luta that his biggest regret was not losing to McGregor, but rather not getting the chance to avenge the loss. It's the fight that ended Aldo's 18-fight unbeaten run that spanned for nearly a decade.

After the loss, Aldo recalled a conversation with UFC CEO Dana White that still bothers him today.

“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 of a would-be rematch. "[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."

Of course, the UFC was correct. McGregor eventually moved to lightweight and became a two-division champ, while also dabbling with 170 pounds during his two-fight series with Nate Diaz in 2016.

In Aldo's words, he thought his status as a "dominant champion" would be enough to satisfy UFC brass. It was not the case.

Why Aldo-McGregor 2 Never Happened

Aldo vs. McGregor at UFC 194. — December 12, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Conor McGregor moves in to land punches and win via technical knockout against Jose Aldo during UFC 194 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"It was the last time he was going to make featherweight, win or lose," Aldo said of McGregor.

Aldo said MMA fans had the misconception that he visibly cried because of the loss, but that was neither true too.

“That’s why I was crying,” Aldo said. “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?”

McGregor lost his last fight in July vs. Max Holloway in their rematch at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. His fighting future is still uncertain, whereas Aldo, a UFC Hall of Famer, is in the post-UFC chapter of his life.

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