Jose Aldo has had a few days to reflect on his split decision loss to Marlon Moraes at UFC 245 this past weekend and he still can’t get over the fact that the judges didn’t see the fight in his favor.
“He had some good 30 seconds in the beginning of the first round, a great start, and after that I dominated him,” Aldo told MMA Fighting. “I almost knocked him out with two combos, he got dizzy and closed the distance, I lost balance and ended up on bottom on the ground, but he only had 10 seconds left and did nothing. Everybody thinks he won the first round, but I can’t see that.
“Rounds two and three were clear for me. I was the only one landing in the second, and walked forward the entire time in the third, landing jabs and answering everything he tried to do. I don’t know how I lost this fight. I don’t know how anyone saw him winning. I think I won all rounds. I respect Marlon, but I can’t see this result.”
Aldo says that even before the fight was over he was convinced that he’d done enough to win and believes that Moraes was running scared of him by that stage.
“We celebrated it as a win as soon as the third round was over. It’s so frustrating. You go on a diet, you do everything you have to do and this happens. You think about giving up, you think a million things.
“I knew I would win before it was over. When someone yelled there was a minute left I thought, ‘I won.’ (Moraes) has his history, but he ran from the fight. I could hear Anderson (Franca, Moraes’ muay thai coach) asking him to throw combinations, kicks, punches, to do something, and he did nothing. He just tried to throw something to keep me away from him, you know?
“He was scared, his eyes were different. The guy didn’t want to fight. Fans were booing and I was putting pressure the entire time. I don’t know how they came up with that result. I’m the most honest guy in the world. If I think I lost, like the (Alexander) Volkanovski fight, I’ll say I lost. But I don’t think I lost this fight.”
Nevertheless, despite the disappointment Aldo has made it clear that he intends to continue to compete at bantamweight, and still expects big things in the division.
“I will beat everyone,” Aldo said. “I will become the bantamweight champion.”
That opportunity might come sooner than you might think too as Dana White has already indicated his interest in Aldo fighting current champion Henry Cejudo, despite his latest defeat.
“If it’s in March or May, it doesn’t matter to me,” Aldo said of the potential fight. “I just want him to sign the contract so we can fight. I’ll start my diet and do whatever it takes.”
