Jose Aldo has called Conor McGregor’s punching-power into question despite being knocked out by the Irishman after just 13 seconds in December.

The Brazilian was quick to rub salt into the featherweight champion’s wounds after his submission defeat by Nate Diaz at welterweight, taking to Twitter to say McGregor’s ‘fairytale is over’.

And Aldo has continued his assault on ‘The Notorious’ as he campaigns to get ahead of No 1 contender Frankie Edgar in a bid to face the Irishman on his return to 145lbs.

The Notorious looks exhausted as he comes to terms with his first-ever UFC defeat

Diaz locked in the rear-naked choke to force McGregor to tap after beating him up in the second round

‘I already knew that [McGregor’s defeat] would happen, I was just waiting,’ Aldo told Combate.

‘When I knew [about the result], I didn’t think twice and posted something [on Instagram], I knew that would happen.

‘I said a while ago that he wouldn’t have anything by the end of the year, even the belt. He quit, couldn’t take it anymore, wanted to run away. He’s a p****. He went down and quit.

‘He was slapped in the face. He looked like a child, getting slapped in the face’.

Aldo had not lost for almost 10 years when McGregor starched him in the first round three months ago and the Brazilian refused the opportunity to face the 27-year-old last weekend when lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos pulled out less than two weeks before UFC 196.

Jose Aldo (left) said McGregor has ‘hands of soap’ despite being knocked out by the Irishman in December

But the Brazilian has claimed McGregor has ‘hands of soap’: ‘Anyone goes down if you connect in the chin’

But after seeing McGregor lose for the first time in his UFC career, albeit 25lbs above his usual weight, Aldo looks to be doing everything he can to add spice to a rematch.

‘Some fighters have a great punch, others don’t. His (McGregor’s) hands are actually made of soap,’ Aldo said on Brazilian TV show Extra Ordinarios.

‘Of course anyone goes down if you connect a blow in the chin. Even a child hitting in the chin, anyone goes down. He has hands of soup. He always hits and nobody ever feels it.’ 

‘With me, they put a skateboard in there so I would slip,’ he added as he joked about his highlight-reel knockout by McGregor.

As well as looking to promote his own cause, Aldo was taking no chances as he took to Instagram to point out the flaws in Edgar’s claim to face McGregor next. 

McGregor lays on the ground dejected after being submitted by Diaz at the end of the second round

Frankie Edgar is the other front runner to face Conor McGregor next after winning five in a row

‘@FrankieEdgar, I heard you were asking for a title shot,’ he wrote. ‘I respect you as a fighter, but let’s check the facts: you lost twice to Ben Henderson before coming to the 145lb division and getting a title shot against me without having fought once in the featherweight division.’

‘We had a great fight, but everybody knows the result (Aldo won by decision). You can’t come here now and cut the line, you have to wait because you don’t have any right to ask for a title shot yet.

‘Conor McGregor: instead of running up to a different weight division and talking shit about me, you could make your time valuable and go to a real gym to learn real jiu-jitsu. I’ll be ready for you at UFC 200, so we can leave no doubt.’

Edgar has won his last five since losing to Aldo in 2013 and knocked out top contender Chad Mendes in the first round the night before the Brazilian lost his title to McGregor.

Aldo (right) beat Edgar (left) by decision when they fought for the featherweight title in 2013

Edgar (right) knocked out Chad Mendes (left) in his last fight, the night before Aldo lost to McGregor