Max Holloway won the UFC interim featherweight belt on Saturday night, taking out former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis with just 10 seconds to go in the third round. Afterward, he called out who, when, and where he wants to fight next.
I want Aldo, said Holloway, still in the Octagon post-fight. We couldn’t find Aldo so I started calling him Waldo. Hashtag #JoseAldo, tell him to meet me in Brooklyn in February and let’s get the real one. Let me know when you guys find him.”
The reference was to UFC 208 on February 11, 2017, at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York.
Aldo answered, speaking with the media on Monday. And he said the fight is already set.
He’s saying ‘where’s Aldo?’, you have to talk to the UFC, said Aldo, as translated by Guilherme Cruz for MMA Fighting. About the fight in February, I already knew that, I only didn’t know who I would fight. It was between him and Pettis, whoever won the fight. It’s not something new. This fight will happen on Feb. 11.
Aldo is coming off a win over Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 in July for the interim title. When featherweight champion Conor McGregor was stripped of the title for non-defense, Aldo became the full champion. But because he was not yet ready to fight, and presumably because UFC 206 needed a little marketing boost, Holloway vs. Pettis was for the interim title. While the marketing boost might have been necessary, the card ended up being one of the best in memory.
