"Belts are bullshit. Who cares? It's the best fighters versus the best fighters. We all know who the best fighters are, right? Have the best fighters fight the best guys. when you beat the best guy, you're the best fighter. Let's be honest. McGregor has an illegitimate belt. It's a made up belt. We call it the ‘interim' belt but Aldo defended his title a year ago. Stripping a guy because he doesn't — because he can't get through a camp without getting injured is a part of MMA. It's always been a part of MMA. But, because of the marketing, because of the hype behind it, because of the HUGE event, the enormity, the economics of the event, they decide to make [McGregor vs. Mendes] an interim fight. He's got a title. Aldo's got a title. They both have titles. So they're fighting for the undisputed title. Wouldn't it be better if they just fought? We know how big Conor is. We know how big Aldo is. Let's go fight, guys!"
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) color commentator Joe Rogan (transcribed by Bloody Elbow) echoes an existing sentiment from reigning UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who recently told the mixed martial arts (MMA) community that Conor McGregor was parading around town with a "toy" disguised as the promotion's interim 145-pound strap, awarded in the wake of "Junior's" untimely rib injury. Rogan and Aldo aren't the first combat sports personalities to poo-poo on the temporary title (even former welterweight superstar Georges St. Pierre was dismissive of the belt), but they also recognize it for what it is: a great marketing tool to hype the upcoming UFC 194 pay-per-view (PPV) event (more on that here), where fans can witness the epic TITLE VS. TITLE main event. Winner takes all! Or something like that.
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