Trending News|July 02, 2015 02:04 EDT
UFC 189 News: Aldo Officially Out of UFC 189
Conor McGregor will still have a chance to strap on UFC gold on July 11 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, but it won't be against UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo as the Brazilian has withdrawn from the title fight due to a rib injury.
Aldo reportedly injured his rib in sparring last week, and initially tried to recover in time to compete in the highly anticipated main event of UFC 189.
"Aldo's rib is too painful and he will not be fighting," UFC president Dana White said. "Chad Mendes will fight Conor McGregor for the interim belt. It's (Aldo's) decision. I don't feel great about it. We've spent a lot of money promoting this fight and a lot of people were excited. It's definitely disappointing."
The UFC embarked on an unprecedented world promotional tour a few months ago. The fight was projected to be the riches in UFC history with White saying he believed the card could sell over a million PPV buys.
There have been conflicting reports about the severity of Aldo's injury. The champion's coach, Andre Pederneiras, has said that Brazilian physicians diagnosed Aldo with a fractured rib, while the UFC released a statement last week that the Brazilian has a rib contusion and damaged cartilage.
"If a man is scared for his life, we can not force him to step inside and fight me," McGregor said. "Doctors have cleared him to fight"”it's a bruise"”but he still pulled out. Rightfully so, the belt should be taken from him and we will contest for the interim belt, or in my opinion, the real belt."
The brash Irishman is fighting the UFC featherweight division's No. 1-ranked contender who is 17-2, with both losses coming only at the hands of Aldo. Mendes is coming off a TKO victory over Ricardo Lamas in April.
"Of course, I think about fighting Conor all the time," Mendes said last week when the UFC announced him as the backup should Aldo withdraw. "Conor is a guy that has made a huge splash in the division. He's brought a lot of attention to the sport and to the division. This is a guy who has worked his way to the top and I knew, eventually, I was going to fight. That time is now."
