Aldo urges McGregor to drop back to lightweight after knee surgery ends UFC 329 comeback

Jose Aldo has urged Conor McGregor to return to lightweight rather than welterweight when he makes his next UFC comeback, describing the Irishman’s injury-curtailed rematch with Max Holloway at UFC 329 as “sad” for the sport.

McGregor re-entered the octagon in July after a five-year absence but suffered a knee injury within seconds of his clash with Holloway, following an attempted jumping kick. He underwent surgery in August and has since said he is “confident” about his recovery, with a potential return pencilled in for 2027.

Aldo, who lost his featherweight title to McGregor via 13-second knockout in December 2015, believes the lightweight division now represents the smartest path back for his former rival. “I think first he needs to go through some dietary re-education to see if he can get back down and be lighter again,” Aldo told MMA Fighting. “I think, in my opinion, he has the frame for 155, so it would be good. And I’ll tell you this: today, if Conor fights at 155 and beats a name, the division is wide open again. Ilia [Topuria] moved up and lost to [Justin] Gaethje, so it’s a bit of a mess there, and anyone can come in and snatch the title.”

The assessment puts Aldo at odds with McGregor’s own coaching staff. Before the injury, trainer John Kavanagh said 170 pounds was “a comfortable cut” for McGregor given his current frame, and that it would take “something really big” to justify cutting the extra 15 pounds back to lightweight. McGregor has competed at both 155 and 170 since leaving featherweight, winning the UFC lightweight belt along the way, and has even floated the idea of fighting at middleweight.

Aldo acknowledged the physical transformation McGregor has undergone but stopped short of writing him off. “His frame has also gotten much bigger, he’s gained a lot of weight and muscle mass, so we don’t know what he’s going to be like when he comes back,” he said. “But I always hope for the best, so I hope that tomorrow he’s doing well physically and psychologically, too, and that he can return to the UFC and have great fights again.”

Having fought both McGregor and Holloway in UFC title bouts at featherweight, Aldo said he was genuinely disappointed by how the long-awaited rematch unfolded. “Everyone waited for him to come back, and then he comes back, you have that fight week, everyone is excited, millions and millions of people tuning in, and then when the time comes, that happens,” Aldo said. “It’s sad. I think it could have been a great fight, him and Max, but he got injured. I hope he can come back, recover, and return to the octagon.”

Aldo also tempered expectations about what version of McGregor fans might see whenever he does return, noting the extended time away from competition as a significant unknown heading into any future fight.