“If he beats Chad Mendes, the only thing he will have is a toy belt to show his friends, drunk in his country’s bars, because that’s what an interim belt represents to me: a toy”. The seven-time defending champion had attempted to recover in time to still compete on the pay-per-view card, but was ultimately forced to pull out.
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Aldo had a lot to say in the statement, including the fact he disagrees with the UFC’s decision to put up an interim title at the event.
Aldo was cleared by doctors to fight, but pulled out anyway. No more than a day later, UFC officials announced that the injury wasn’t a fracture, merely a bone bruise to his rib and cartilage injury.
As much as this contest has come together on short notice, it’s also a match-up that has been brewing for the last several months. “They’ll fight for the interim title and whenever Jose Aldo is ready, then that fight can happen to unify it”, White said.
His scheduled opponent went as far as saying that you can’t force a man who’s scared for his life to get inside the Octagon with him, while others yet have questioned what has become a recurring theme of him withdrawing from fights due to injury.
For McGregor, though, Aldo does not deserve his title belt anymore. He said that he saw “fear” in Aldo’s eyes, reported Sherdog.
While McGregor is predicting that Mendes will be unconscious at the four minute mark of the first round, “Money” Mendes believes he will step “The Notorious” McGregor within three rounds.
Another UFC fighter Chad Mendes will step into Aldo’s place following the disappointing news that was announced on ESPN yesterday. The 30-year-old was last in action in April, where he stopped another ex- title challenger, Ricardo Lamas, via first-round TKO. There was simply no way to look at him pummeling Dustin Poirier or getting taken down by Dennis Siver and know how he was going to do against the greatest 145-pounder the world has ever known. He’ll have fully made his bones in the 145-pound division and proved he hasn’t just been blowing smoke throughout his UFC career. He’s brought a lot of attention to the sport and to the division.
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‘My decision was made in respect to the UFC and the fans that see me as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. “That time is now”, he added. Mendes has won eight of ten during his UFC tenure, with those two lone defeats coming to UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.
