RIO DE JANEIRO – Champ Max Holloway might not be buying it, but head coach Andre Pederneiras will vouch for Jose Aldo when he says he’s even more motivated for their rematch than he was for their title-unifier back in June.

Holloway (18-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) and Aldo (26-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) headline this Saturday’s UFC 218, in a rematch that came together sooner than expected. Aldo, who was knocked out by Holloway at UFC 212, was scheduled to meet Ricardo Lamas later in December. Holloway, in turn, was already set to defend the newly-unified belt this weekend – but against former 155-pound titleholder ex-145-pound challenger Frankie Edgar instead.

But then Edgar got injured. And what followed was a pretty easy-to-make decision for Aldo’s camp.

“I got the news – it was God that sent it,” Pederneiras told reporters with a laugh, during a media day in Rio de Janeiro last week. “I got a call and they asked if I was going to take the fight. I said, ‘What fight? Aldo already has a fight scheduled.’ They said, ‘You haven’t heard? I said no. ‘Frankie Edgar just got hurt and won’t fight.’

“Aldo, in front of me, said, ‘Sign me up.’ I messaged (the UFC) right then and, the following day, it was done.”

The featherweight title matchup headlines Saturday’s pay-per-view main card at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The preliminary card airs on FS1, following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

For Holloway, the new bout meant basically shifting his focus on a new – albeit familiar – opponent. But, for Aldo, it meant preparing for an added two rounds, with a two-week shorter camp.

In any case, neither the former featherweight champion nor the coach are in any way fazed by that.

“I’m very motivated by this change,” Aldo said earlier in the same media day. “I don’t see a problem. I’m feeling much more prepared this time than the last time.”

Pederneiras, who spoke to reporters separately, explained that they already prepared for three-round fights by going four rounds in practice. So, essentially, all it took was adding another one.

“I think he’s a lot more motivated for this fight than he was for the previous one,” Pederneiras said. “Not to take away from his opponent, but fighting for a belt, with the person who beat you? He’s ready.

“(Aldo) spent some time in the U.S., training boxing. When he returned, he started training. So, when they scheduled it, his body was trained. He started a camp much sooner than usual, so these two weeks won’t make a difference.”

Other than sharper boxing skills, Aldo will be able to count on another tool this time around: his leg kicks. After their first meeting, there were questions as to why Aldo failed to use what had long been known as one of the strongest points of his offensive arsenal.

Pederneiras, at the occasion, revealed that Aldo dealt with an injury in camp – information that didn’t sit well with Holloway. This time, though, the ex-champion says he’s in mint condition.

“They can expect the best kickboxing, the best muay Thai,” Aldo said. “I’m going for it all the time. I want to kick a lot in this fight. I want to lay hands, too. Everything I’ve learned recently, I want to go in there and I want to implement it. ”

For Pederneiras, too, this is a game-changer.

“When you take someone’s best weapon, and you give it back to them, it’s certainly going to make a difference,” Pederneiras said.

But, in response to Holloway’s gripes about the “cowardly” way in which the camp went about disclosing that information, Pederneiras clarified that the intent of publicly talking about the injury was never to diminish the weight of Holloway’s achievements in Rio.

“I want to make something very clear: First off, Aldo didn’t say anything, I did,” Pederneiras said. “I made a comment when someone asked why he got tired. I never took away from Holloway’s win. In that moment, regardless of whether he had a good leg or not, the punch would have landed and dropped him regardless.

“It wasn’t the leg that dropped him. So we didn’t take away from Holloway in any way. Quite the contrary: We praised him for both the way he became champion and the way he talked about Aldo. So I want it to be very clear. I only disclosed something that had happened, that’s it.”

Aldo’s response to the same question was in line with the coach’s.

“There was no cowardice,” Aldo said. “Whenever I fight in there, it’s the best Aldo possible. Holloway was a great fighter that night. He won and he earned it. There are no excuses at all. What Dede said happened in training. But if I’m up there, it’s the best Aldo possible. He won by his own merit, and he deserved to win.”

For more on UFC 218, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Filed under: Featured, News, UFC