Efter Jose Aldos påståenden igår så går nu Max Holloway till attack mot fjäderviktsmästaren.
Det var i en exklusiv intervju med MMA Fightings Ariel Helwani som fjäderviktsmästaren José Aldo (26-2) berättade att en match mot Max Holloway (17-3) på UFC 208 i Brooklyn var bestämd men att Holloway drog sig ur den matchen. Han påstod också att Holloway visste om att matchen skulle bli på den galan långt innan han klev in i oktagonen mot Anthony Pettis (19-6) den 10 december. Han kom också med en rad andra påståenden om varför Holloway drog sig ur matchen.
I en intervju med Fox Sports svarade Holloway på Aldos påståenden. Han säger att han fick reda på detta först efter vinsten mot Pettis av Dana White och han mer än gärna accepterade den matchen. Dock tänkte han inte på att matchen var mindre än två månader bort men det gjorde inte att han kände för att tacka nej till matchen.
“I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. Telling me I knew before the fight — I didn’t know (expletive) before the fight. When they told me in the cage after I won that they wanted the fight Feb. 11, I thought it was 10 weeks away so I’d take two weeks off and then have an eight week camp to get ready for him. Then after everything, my adrenaline was on high and was going crazy, they got me hyped and I said what I said and then I figured out it was eight weeks so I was like holy (expletive) that’s fast but I said that’s OK we can do this.”
Det som avgjorde var att Holloway dagen efter vaknade upp med en mycket svullen vrist. Han tog omgående kontakt med UFC om detta och besökte läkare direkt och fick höra att han blev tvungen att ta det lugnt i några veckor vilket innebar att han skulle få en alldeles för kort träningscamp.
“The next morning I woke my (expletive) ankle was swollen as an elephant’s leg. I told the UFC ASAP what was up and I don’t know why they didn’t announce it, but I went to the doctors as soon as possible and I was told I can’t do nothing for four to six weeks. No contact, no nothing on my ankle. I can’t be kicking, I can’t be doing anything. I found out a re-injured an old injury in my ankle and I let them know I’m out four to six weeks.”
“I guess he’s coming out taunting and running his mouth but at the end of the day if I wasn’t injured I’d fight his ass any day of the week. I’d fight him tomorrow.”
Det som fick Holloway att sparka bakut var Aldos påstående att han själv aldrig tackar nej till matcher. Detta anser Holloway vara en ren lögn. Han säger att brasilianen faktiskt tidigare har blivit erbjuden att möta Holloway men tackat nej då han har velat möta Pettis istället men även tackat nej till den matchen.
“This guy is the last guy who should be talking about injuries. This mother (expletive) is the last guy that should be talking about injuries and being able to fight. He wants to talk about he never turned down an opponent in his life and he don’t pick his opponents. I can clearly — he said this, not me — he got offered to fight me. He got offered to fight me at (UFC) 205 and 206 and he would not fight me. He said he would rather fight Anthony Pettis and then he didn’t take that fight either. He’s saying ‘I don’t turn down fights’ — go ask Sean Shelby if Max Holloway ever turned down a fight. I never turned down a fight in my life.”
“This guy turns down a fight and he’s blaming his coach? Come on, get out of here. My coach didn’t want me to fight on Feb. 11 but I’m going to do what I’m going to do. I love my coaches but at the end of the day I need to get in there and do the damn thing and they respect that. Feb. 11 I wanted to fight, and then I go to the doctors and I have an injury. It would dumb of me to take a fight with Jose Aldo and I can’t train four to six weeks. This guy is seriously gone in his head. I fought 10 times in the last three years. How many times did he fight? Let’s compare.”
Aldo har sagt att han aldrig själv väljer sina motståndare. Men Holloway säger sig ha bevis på att det inte stämmer då Aldo i en intervju i september sade att han föredrar en match mot Pettis framför Holloway.
“He’s saying he never turns down a fight, he never chooses his opponents. This is his words ‘I would rather fight Anthony Pettis than Max Holloway because Max Holloway is a harder fight and Anthony Pettis is a bigger draw so I’ll just go the easier route’. Those are his own words.”
“This guy’s stupid. I can use this guy’s words against him.”
Den nye interimmästaren tror sig veta anledningen till varför Aldo helt plötsligt efter att tidigare har varit tyst när Holloway har snackat om honom nu blir så kaxig.
“I respect he’s a legend, he’s a legend of the sport but he has seven title defenses and he pulled out of six of them. He’s almost got the same amount of pull outs as he does defenses. You tell me what’s going on. I never pulled out of one fight in my life. I took short notice fights. I’m the most active guy in the division.”
“It’s so funny. Aldo’s running his mouth now. I was running my mouth about him and he didn’t say (expletive). Then he finds out I can’t fight because I’m injured, he decides to open his mouth and run it. Get the hell out of here. He’s a little loud mouth now that he knows I’m not going be standing across the cage from him.”
Holloway har kommit fram till en möjlig tidsplan men han vill vara säker på att han blir fri från skadan. Han fortsätter med att kritisera Aldo för alla påståenden om att aldrig ha dragit sig ur en match.
“I want to make sure I take care of this injury, heal up and then maybe beginning of May or the end of April if that works. With injuries, I’ve been able to heal pretty quick but they told me four to six weeks so we’ll see how it is.”
“The thing that blows my mind, Aldo makes guys wait for months. Some guys who are supposed to fight him don’t even get to fight him. Erik Koch was supposed to fight him and Aldo got hurt. This guy makes people wait for months and months and he’s yelling at me? Get out of here. I didn’t even have a contract and you’re getting salty at me? You have contracts and you’re pulling out of them. Pulling out of a fight is just like not taking a fight.”
Detta innebär troligen inte ett slut på ordkriget mellan dem. Holloway är fortfarande inställd på en match mot Aldo nästa år och avslutar intervjun med ett meddelande speciellt riktat till brasilianen.
“Keep digging yourself a hole because one day you’re going to be standing across the cage from me and you’ll realize you’re not better than me in every aspect of MMA and you’ll start folding. Get your mind ready. Get ready for disappointment. Cause the day we step into the cage together you’re going to find out.”
“He retires and then unretires and now he wants to call the shots? Mother (expletive), your belt was handed to you twice. He can go ahead and wait. I had to fight for mine. Get out of here with your crazy talk. Stay healthy and you’re going to see ‘Blessed’ in the New Year.”
Foto: Vince Cachero
