THE UFC’S DECISION to release footage of a distraught Jose Aldo in his dressing room after his recent defeat to Conor McGregor was another example of a fighter being “dumped on by the promotion”.
That’s according to legendary former UFC champion Randy Couture, who criticised the post-UFC 194 video — which was uploaded to the promotion’s official YouTube channel, before later being removed — in an interview with Submission Radio.
The video showed Aldo, who had been knocked out by McGregor in just 13 seconds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in tears as he came to terms with his first defeat in the UFC.
Couture criticised the UFC for what he believes was an insensitive move. He also used the example of former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who has had a somewhat fractious relationship with the UFC since his retirement two years ago after his victory over Johny Hendricks.
“We can probably go down the list of fighters that have been kind of dumped on by the promotion. I don’t think, at the end of the day, the promotion cares that much. I don’t think they had Jose Aldo’s best interests at heart there,” said Couture, who has had his own difficulties with the UFC in the past.
“Did they have Georges St-Pierre’s best interests at heart? And that was after a victory, but because he wanted to take a hiatus, all the things that were said and done with regard to Georges — I certainly might fall into that category if I wanted to start talking about that — but there’s certainly been other fighters that, you know, they [UFC] do what they think is best for them at the end of the day.”
Couture, a former UFC light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion, added that a situation like Aldo’s is something his team wouldn’t have allowed to happen during his own career, referring to the aftermath of his 2006 loss to Chuck Liddell.
“Here’s my question: Where were his [Aldo's] handlers? Where were his trainers? Those are the guys — and having been in that situation after the Chuck Liddell fight, after retiring in the third Chuck Liddell fight, my guys weren’t letting those [camera] guys in.
“You know, that was our space. They wanted me to have that space. And I remember specifically, Nate Quarry hollering at the camera men and telling him, ‘look get out of here’ and not letting them in the room.”
