Have you seen those viral videos of podcasters creating AI-generated videos of themselves as babies? The trend kicked off in April when comedian Jon LaJoie launched his ‘Talking Baby Podcast,’ which instantly blew up on TikTok. Since then, big names from the combat sports world—like Joe Rogan have joined the fun. Now, Conor McGregor and Mike Tyson are the latest to hop on the baby-face bandwagon. And you can always trust the Irishman to stir the pot as he pulled his former arch-nemesis, Jose Aldo, into the mix. And let’s just say, it wasn’t exactly in a wholesome way.
Before we get to what Conor McGregor did, let’s take a look at what Tyson recently shared on his timeline. The former undisputed heavyweight kingpin took to Instagram to upload a video on his story from his iconic press conference after winning against Lou Savarese in Glasgow, where he delivered his famous speech. “I’m the best ever. I’m the most brutal and vicious, and most ruthless champion there’s ever been. There’s no one can stop me. Lennox is a conqueror? No, I’m Alexander, he’s no Alexander,” said Mike Tyson in a post-fight interview with Jim Gray on June 24, 2000
He further added, “I’m the best ever! There’s never been anybody as ruthless! I’m Sonny Liston, I’m Jack Dempsey. There’s no one like me. I’m from their cloth. There’s no one that can match me. My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable, and I’m just ferocious. I want your heart! I want to eat his children! Praise be to Allah!” Quite a ravaging speech.
However, the clip had a humorous twist — it was an AI edit that transformed Tyson into a baby while he gave the intense speech. After ‘Iron Mike’, it was Conor McGregor’s turn to jump on the bandwagon, as the former dual-weight champion uploaded a similar video to his Instagram story. However, he took a sharp dig at Jose Aldo, who had just retired from the sport after losing to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315.
‘Mystic Mac’ uploaded an AI-generated baby video of the time when he called out not just Aldo, but the entire nation of Brazil in anticipation of their originally scheduled UFC 189 bout. “I own this town. I own Rio de Janeiro. I’m sitting up here with my feet on the desk. What’s anyone up there gonna do about it? Not one of you is going to do anything about it,” said McGregor at the UFC 189 world tour press conference.
He further added, “My name, the McGregor name, my family’s motto is ‘S Rioghal Mo Dhream’ that means royal is in my blood that goes way back. So, for him to say that he is the king and I am the joker, if this were a different time, I would invade his favela on horseback, and would kill anyone who wasn’t fit to work. But we’re in a new time, so I’ll whoop his a– in July.”
Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 189. However, the bout never happened as Aldo pulled out due to injury. Shortly after, they faced each other at UFC 194—a night that turned into a nightmare for the consensus 145-pound GOAT. Despite his efforts to redeem himself and represent his country with pride, McGregor needed only 13 seconds to finish him and become the featherweight champion.
Aldo, who had been undefeated for a decade, met McGregor and crumbled in seconds. It remains a deep regret from which he has yet to fully recover. For McGregor to invoke that moment around the time of Aldo’s retirement is quite the move. Despite their rivalry, Conor McGregor responded with grace when Jose Aldo announced his retirement, summing up Aldo’s performance against Zahabi in just four words: ‘Jose Aldo last night.’ Well, days after McGregor’s appreciation, Aldo dropped the final statement on his retirement.
Jose Aldo drops final verdict on UFC return
At UFC 315, Jose Aldo stepped into the Octagon for the final time. While no one expected it to be the last fight of his illustrious career, Aldo himself understood that the moment had come to say goodbye to decades of MMA competition. With multiple titles and an impressive career record of 32 victories and 10 defeats, Aldo officially announced his retirement. However, can we expect another comeback from ‘The King of Rio’?
For the unversed, ‘Scarface’ made a comeback to the world of fighting after announcing retirement back in 2022. Can we expect something like that once again? According to Jose Aldo, he will never return to combat sports, neither MMA nor boxing. While having a conversation at Nova Uniao’s training center, ‘The King of Rio’ stated, “There’s no fight that would make me come back. To put the gi, to spar, or do anything, only in five years. Thank God I’ll be almost 50 in five years, so there’s no possibility of fighting, there’s no calling.”
The last time Aldo walked away from the world of MMA was back in September 2022 following a loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278. After that, Jose Aldo transitioned to boxing, where he fought three times in 2023. After a year in boxing, Aldo made his comeback to MMA in May 2024 against Jonathan Martinez.
As a two-time former featherweight champion and arguably the greatest featherweight to ever compete in the UFC, Aldo has ended his career on a high note. Given that, what are your thoughts on McGregor’s throwback? State your opinion in the comments below.
The post After Mike Tyson, Conor McGregor Joins Internet’s Biggest Trend at the Expense of Jose Aldo’s Worst Nightmare appeared first on EssentiallySports.