Jose Aldo's coach on Conor McGregor's UFC 194 win: I think it was lucky

LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 12: (R-L) Conor McGregor of Ireland punches Jose Aldo of Brazil in their UFC featherweight championship bout during the UFC 194 event inside MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 12, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Jose Aldo's head coach Andre Pederneiras doesn't want to say that Conor McGregor was "lucky," per se, in landing a one-punch KO over "Scarface" at UFC 194. But, you know...

"Let's say it wasn't a lucky punch, [McGregor] programmed that," he recently told Combate.

"But the way it connected on his chin when he moved forward, I think it was lucky."

Alright, then. Fighters have to preserve their audacious confidence somehow, after bad losses, and Pederneiras is likely just doing his part to help keep his man's spirits up.

And, it is true that Aldo really shouldn't obsess much over the loss, since it ended in record time. However, as I wrote last week (below), there's nothing "lucky" about avoiding a punch, throwing your own, and landing it.

In any case, Pederneiras still wants an immediate rematch for Aldo, against McGregor. The only real reason to give Aldo an immediate rematch after such a clean and decisive fight would be because he'd been so dominant for years prior.

In fact, that's the reasoning (in addition to making a lot of money from it) that UFC president Dana White has used to explain why he wants former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey to get an immediate rematch against Holly Holm, after Holm's dismantling of the Rowdy one, in November. If Rousey gets her immediate rematch, but Aldo doesn't, Pederneiras agrees with Jon Jones that it would be quite unfair to the Brazilian.

"I can't see Aldo not fighting for a belt or not in an immediate rematch. It wouldn't be fair if that doesn't happen, but happen to others," he reasoned.

"'There's no immediate rematch for anyone', cool, we know what the rule is. '[There's rematch] because she's blond and sells well'? I'll dye Aldo's hair. Right?"

That likely wouldn't fool anyone, but you can't blame the coach for being frustrated. Of course, for both Rousey and Aldo, it would be wise if they and their teams considered the up-side of not being thrown right back into a title fight -- so they could rest their bodies.

Still, if Aldo were to face McGregor again, his coach is quite sure he could still beat the Irishman. The Nova Uniao head refuted notions that Aldo was particularly anxious heading into the fight with McGregor, after over a year of trash talk from the challenger.

In fact, Pederneiras believes Aldo may have gone in a little overconfident, if anything. "I wouldn't say anxious. Maybe overconfident, because he was really well," he said.