Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t believe Jose Aldo is experiencing a second peak in his mixed martial arts career.
Aldo is currently on a two-fight winning streak having most recently outpointed bantamweight contender Pedro Munhoz earlier this month at UFC 265.
The former featherweight king received many plaudits for his performance and the fact that he was still competing at the highest level despite his mileage in the sport.
Nurmagomedov, however, isn’t too impressed.
Nurmagomedov: No Way Aldo Is Having Second Peak
The now-retired former UFC lightweight champion was asked about previous comments he made about how a fighter can’t have two peaks and whether Aldo disproved that theory.
Nurmagomedov would reply bluntly while adding his belief that Aldo was just fighting for money at this point in his career.
“How is he showing it? He got beat up when he fought… Who’d he fight? He fought Petr (Yan) right? A guy wins one fight and everyone starts talking,” Nurmagomedov said (via RT Sport). “When Conor fought Cowboy he looked like a lion. When he fights stronger opponents, he looks like scared chicken. Fighting top fighters shows your worth.
“Like I said – the level of Russia’s football team will be shown against Croatia, not Malta. A fight against Cowboy won’t show what level you’re at. Just like Aldo’s fight against Pedro Munhoz. Let him fight Petr Yan in the same way then we can say he’s peaking again. You saw what he did, he closed up and waited for the ref to stop the fight. That shows that you’re not at your peak. If you’re getting hit and you’re conscious and you’re not defending yourself, I call those fighters businessmen, they come out to make money. There are real champions who go hard on everyone. They don’t care about the money, of course, it’s an important aspect but he has the competitive spirit.
“There’s no way Aldo’s having a second peak,” Nurmagomedov added. “You can try to prove it all you want but I’ve been through this. I know better, thank you, you’re a journalist and I’m a fighter.”
While Aldo is certainly not having a second peak, it’s bizarre to say he’s fighting for money. Especially when he is still fighting at the very highest level and even gave Yan a tough and competitive fight despite the loss.
You can watch Nurmagomedov’s answer below:
