UFC News & Notes: Jose Aldo vs Conor McGregor Fight Still On; Chad Mendes on Standby
UFC 189 will still go on with Jose Aldo on board to defend his title against Conor McGregror. This is in spite of a rib injury the Brazilian fighter suffered earlier this week. Aldo and McGregor will headline the highly anticipated event, which is set on July 11 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
UFC issued a statement on its website on Wednesday to announce that the reigning featherweight champion will still push through with his fight against The Celtic Tiger.
It stated that the MMA promotion company has already spoken with the medical doctors of Aldo who confirmed that the fighter only "suffered a bone bruise to his rib and cartilage injury during training."
The 28-year-old mixed martial arts fighter will stop at nothing to proceed with his fight against McGregor.
Aldo was training in Rio de Janeiro when the incident happened. According to initial reports, the fighter suffered a fractured rib while preparing for his match against the 26-year-old Irish fighter, noted Fansided.
But the Brazilian fighter, also known as "Scarface," had a medical examination on Wednesday and doctors ruled out rib fracture, ESPN reported. The injury was not as bad as previously thought.
While Aldo has been cleared by his doctors, the Nevada State Athletic Commission still intends to check the fighter before his scheduled match.
"It's our duty and obligation to ensure a licensed fighter is healthy before competing," said Francisco Aguilar, chairman of the NSAC. "We're going to have our doctors independently evaluate the situation."
Even if Aldo and McGregor are already set for UFC 189, the promotion company has already prepared a back up plan in case things get worse for the Featherweight Champion. Chad Mendes has agreed to fill in for the fighter in a worst-case scenario.
"No. 1 featherweight contender Chad Mendes will face McGregor for the interim UFC featherweight championship in the event Aldo cannot compete," added the statement.
With Aldo still set on fighting and Mendes not knowing if he would actually face the Irish fighter, the 30-year-old American intends to prepare for the match no matter what.
"As of right now, I have to pretend I'm fighting," said the mixed martial artist to MMA Junkie. "I'm training. I've got to get my weight down. I've got two weeks to cut the weight and get on point. This is going to be the craziest two weeks of my life, but it's an opportunity I'd never turn down."
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