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For FloCombat via A.G Fight



Mere days ahead of the first defense during his second title reign in the UFC's featherweight division, José Aldo is confident the belt will not change hands.



That's partly because Aldo feels like Max Holloway, the division's interim champion whom he will fight in the main event of UFC 212 this Saturday, June 3, is beginning to realize he might be in for a long night inside Rio de Janeiro's Jeunesse Arena after talking trash before the fight was booked.



"I don't know [why he changed the tone of his speech]," Aldo said. "I think he's getting closer [to the fight] and he's actually seeing reality. The time of talking is behind us, and he knows that now is the reality, that we will face [each other in the cage]."



Until having his unbeaten run in the UFC halted by Conor McGregor in December of 2015, Aldo boasted the noteworthy mark of 10 years without defeat. But despite the 13-second knockout he suffered against the Irishman at UFC 194, "Scarface" ensures he's set to regain his status as one of the UFC's top pound-for-pound athletes.



"I've been a champion for a long time, so you become a target," Aldo said. "Everyone already knew me, knew my style and my weapons. So, I've been getting more and more prepared to go and knock people out. I think this fight [I] will be very aggressive if he doesn't change his style."



And even if the usually aggressive Holloway does change his fighting style, Aldo is confident he'll have an answer for that as well.



"Logically [fighting on the ground may be a path to victory]," Aldo said. "I have trained a lot and if I have the opportunity to go to the ground, I'm going to do it."



Should Aldo indeed get the win over Holloway, he will enter a critical phase in his UFC career: Having already faced all the top names in the division as of now and only losing to McGregor, Aldo sees a weight change and subsequent super fights in his future.



Still, his focus remains on his current opponent.



"On top of the Octagon [after a win], I will be so happy that I don't know what will happen next," Aldo said. "Soon after, yes. Making a super fight is what I have a bigger desire [for] today. I've always wanted to do this, I want to test myself against opponents from different weight classes, to test myself and maybe to get the lightweight belt as well. [But] let's take it one step at a time, and the next one is to fight Max, beat him and then sit down with Dedé [Andre Pederneiras, Aldo's head coach] and see what's best for us."









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