It's been a trying 18 months for the most dominant featherweight of all time.
In late 2015, Jose Aldo (26-2) suffered his first defeat in more than a decade, a 13-second knockout loss to Conor McGregor. It's become a defining moment of Aldo's career, in some ways overshadowing years of dominance.
When Aldo bounced back with a victory over Frankie Edgar seven months later, he believed he'd secured a rematch against McGregor -- but the Irish star elected to move up in weight and fight Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title instead. Initially, McGregor was allowed to keep his featherweight belt, which meant Aldo was still relegated to interim champ.
Infuriated, Aldo demanded his release from the UFC and threatened to retire. He eventually met UFC president Dana White in Las Vegas and asked for the contractual freedom to pursue boxing.
Ultimately, things have returned to a somewhat normal state. Aldo never boxed, was reinstated as the division's official champion, and will defend his title against Max Holloway at UFC 212 this weekend in Rio de Janeiro.
Aldo's coach and father figure Andre Pederneiras, was with the fighter throughout the ordeal. Pederneiras spoke to ESPN.com about the last 18 months of Aldo's career and where it's left his mindset.
ESPN.com: After such a long run of dominance, how hard were these last 18 months?
Pederneiras: It was just difficult because after his fight with Frankie, he wanted Conor. But Conor wouldn't accept the fight, and after that, Aldo started to think about retirement. We flew to Vegas to meet with Dana, and Dana said, 'I can give you some freedom to box, and if you want to retire, OK, but your UFC contract will continue.' Aldo started to think again, if he wasn't given full freedom to box, still under contract, waiting for a chance to fight Conor, maybe he would try to fight at 155 pounds. That's when we tried to fight [lightweight] Khabib Nurmagomedov, but his dad did not want him to accept. And then Holloway accepted to fight us after he beat Anthony Pettis in December, but said he needed to take his son to Disneyland and needed to do a movie, so now, finally, he has the time to fight.
ESPN.com: So, to clarify, did the UFC give Aldo permission to box or no?
Pederneiras: When Aldo saw the fight with Conor was not happening, he said, 'OK, now I'm going to end my career in MMA and try to start one in professional boxing.' And if he ever wanted to go back to MMA, he would need to finish his contract with the UFC. Dana did not really give us permission. He said, 'Maybe. You send me the name of your opponent and maybe we'll accept you boxing in Brazil. But it will depend on what fight you take.' Nobody can start a new career if they're saying, 'We can fight this guy, but not this guy.' Maybe he could fight on the same card as McGregor and Floyd Mayweather -- another big name in boxing.
ESPN.com: If it were up to Aldo, today, would he still want the UFC to release him so he could pursue boxing?
Pederneiras: I think so. He wants to be a world champion in boxing. He thinks he can do it. He wants to fight Conor again, though. Maybe win the 155-pound championship. If Conor came back, he would need to fight [Aldo]. He was fighting at 145 pounds and Aldo won the interim title. Conor left and went to 155. If he was the champion at 155, would Conor leave for another division again? Leave the sport? I don't know. If he goes to 170 pounds, Aldo says he will go to fight anybody at 170, to be the next contender for Conor. He just wants to fight Conor and that's it.
ESPN.com: Given his desire to box, and with a McGregor rematch on his mind, how motivated is Aldo for this upcoming fight against Holloway?
Pederneiras: That's the best thing about Aldo. When he signs a contract, he forgets about everything and concentrates on his next fight. He doesn't want to lose any fight, you understand? Right now, he does not think about fighting Conor or boxing.
ESPN.com: So is the plan to defend the featherweight title against Holloway this weekend, and then ask for an interim lightweight title fight?
Pederneiras: Maybe. We need to finish the fight, but really, after that, we have a plan. I can't say it before the fight, but we have a plan.
ESPN.com: And that plan ends with a McGregor rematch?
Pederneiras: Always. Always. We want a fight with Conor McGregor. But it's hard to get. We know that. We know he doesn't ever want to fight Aldo again. Maybe in boxing. Maybe he'd accept a boxing match. When we were meeting with Dana, he told us, 'Conor does not want to fight you. I tried everything to put him in to a fight with you. I can't put a gun to his head.' That's the word, from Dana to us. Dana told that to Aldo, directly.
ESPN.com: How important is getting that rematch against McGregor to you, as his coach?
Pederneiras: I think Aldo has done a lot for this sport. Aldo beat them for so long and did everything right. He's a good kid. He don't talk s--- about anybody. All the time, he's helping people. He's a good guy. Maybe this sport does not like good guys. But just in the sport, not the marketing side of it, I think Aldo deserves his rematch more than any champion that has ever been before him. He lost the title, came back and fought a great fighter like Frankie Edgar, accepted a title defense against Max Holloway who is really, really good, and then before that, he challenged the guy that nobody - nobody -- wants to fight at 155, and that's Khabib. He's done everything he can to deserve this rematch with Conor.