Jose Aldo has revealed that Conor McGregor sent him an "intimate" gift after he returned to the octagon in 2016 to beat Frankie Edgar.
The Irishman had dealt Aldo his first defeat in a decade when he famously KO'd him after 13 seconds at UFC 194 in 2015.
Aldo returned six months later and would see off Edgar at UFC 200, claiming a unanimous decision victory and the interim featherweight title.
After that success the Brazilian fighter found himself staying at the same hotel as McGregor.
The Notorious would send him a gift, a gesture he has labelled as "intimate", although Aldo was unsure of his motives.
”When I fought Frankie Edgar and won the title again, (McGregor and I) were staying at the same hotel, side by side. He saw me, and even sent a gift congratulating me for the belt I had just won," he told Guilherme Cruz on the Portuguese-language podcast Trocação Franca.
"That was intimate, brother. He knows that, he sent it to my room. I see no problem with that. It was a way of trying to show love for me and my family. It was really intimate. It was nice, it was nice.
"I don’t know what his intentions were, right? But it was nice."
He has since claimed he will never fight McGregor again but hoped the Irishman would return and hit his previous heights.
“No, I don’t see myself fighting Conor. Never, I think," said Aldo.
"I can even say that. It might happen tomorrow, but that’s not the path. I root for him today, I hope he recovers from the injury and fights again at the highest level and becomes champion again."
Aldo's last fight came back in August when he beat Pedro Munhoz to leave him a record of 30-7.
His next bout is set to be against Rob Font on December 5.
The 35-year-old has confirmed recently that the sport's former king Khabib Nurmagomedov turned down the chance to face him in 2016 for the interim Lightweight title.
“I was traveling when [my coach] ‘Dede’ [Pederneiras] called me,” Aldo said.
“The [UFC] had offered me this fight and we took it. I said, ‘What? I want that, I’m in.’ I respect everybody, but that opportunity … I was the featherweight champion, and [Nurmagomedov] didn’t think it was a good [idea].
"I don’t know if he was expecting to fight somebody else, I don’t know what he was thinking at the time. I think it could have been a great fight."
