Jose Aldo has pulled out of the UFC 189 main event against Conor McGregor, and will be replaced by number-two featherweight Chad Mendes.
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As for the interim title, which will be awarded to the victor of the bout at UFC 189 between McGregor and Aldo’s replacement Chad Mendes, Aldo said he doesn’t agree with the UFC’s decision to create one and think it is unwarranted.
Seven-time defending champion Aldo was hurt in training in Rio de Janeiro, with conflicting reports about the severity of his rib injury ranging from bruising to a broken bone.
Aldo (25-1) injured his rib in sparring early last week, putting his status in question. Both of his career losses are to Aldo, and he enters this fight just three months removed from stomping through ex- top contender Ricardo Lamas in two minutes, 45 seconds. Getting in there and getting a belt against a guy like him, who in my opinion has a lot of holes in his game, is something I couldn’t pass up.
It’s a big move for the UFC, and the announcement yesterday that Dublin will host another Fight Night in October, as I previously predicted, is brilliant news for us out here.
Since his departure from Cage Warriors Fighting Championship in 2013, McGregor has taken UFC’s 145-pound weight class by storm, winning 5-consecutive bouts to receive a title shot. So Chad Mendes now will fight Conor McGregor for the interim belt.
“If we were to get it on, I most certainly would dismantle him also”, McGregor said.
“If a man is scared for his life, we can not force him to step inside and face me…” “People are showing up to see me”.
Fights here are always heavily publicised but this one has his overdrive and they’re anticipating that it will break pay per view records.
UFC star Conor McGregor is adamant he would destroy pound for pound boxing king Floyd Mayweather. He’s 17-2, and his own UFC/WEC resume dates back more than five years.
Some suggest Mendes, a ex- All-American wrestler at Cal Poly-SLO, will be a tougher opponent.
“It’s been nuts. Right when that news broke, I started to get phone calls from everyone, texts from everyone”. “I just go in there formless, ruthless, cold, and that’s it. It does not matter who is in front of me or what style or approach they have”.
But on Tuesday evening, Aldo’s coach Andre Pederneiras called UFC officials to say Aldo couldn’t fight.
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“Conor is a tough dude – he’s got his strengths, his things that he’s good at”.
