UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has heard the hype, but he admits he doesn’t really know what it’s all about.

Although Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) must first emerge victorious from a rematch with Chad Mendes (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) later this month at UFC 179, fast-rising contender Conor McGregor (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will be cageside at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanazinho Gymnasium for the Oct. 25 pay-per-view event.

McGregor initially was expected to fight the winner of the title fight, but the Irishman recently suggested he could take another fight in the meantime.

Aldo, though, isn’t too concerned about the prospects of fighting McGregor.

“I’m not looking at anyone else at the moment,” he told MMAjunkie. “I’m focused on my next fight, which is against Chad Mendes. If people are hyping Conor, I haven’t read about it.

“After my fight, I’ll have time to see what the hype’s all about.”

Aldo and Mendes are respectively ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings. McGregor, meanwhile, is No. 8 after winning his first four UFC fights.

Aldo looks for his seventh straight title defense when he fights at UFC 179, and as the UFC’s first and only 145-pound champ to date, he makes it a point to keep tabs on the division. He’s seen footage of McGregor, but the 28-year-old titleholder doesn’t believe the boastful 26-year-old Irishman is anything special in an increasingly competitive weight class.

“I make it a point to observe all fighters in the featherweight category,” he said. “I’m the champion, and I plan to remain the champion. I do pay attention to any featherweight fight where someone is ranked in the UFC, since that could potentially be my next adversary. Conor is no different than any other fighter.”

Or, to put it more bluntly?

“I don’t see anything that stands out,” he said.

For more on UFC 179, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Jose Aldo)