Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his title against Conor McGregor at UFC 194 on Dec. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Previous reports suggested that the title showdown could happen on Dec. 5, but UFC president Dana White told Yahoo Sports that the fight date was moved because MGM Grand wanted to host the fight badly.

MGM Grand will not be available for a Dec. 5 fight card, which prompted UFC officials to look for other options -- like holding the fight at Mandalay Bay or at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

The Dallas Cowboys Stadium was considered the favorite to host UFC 194, but White revealed MGM Grand president and chief operating officer, along with MGM Resorts entertainment and sports president Richard Sturm, moved "heaven and earth" to make the fight happen on Dec. 12.

Aldo and McGregor was supposed to collide at UFC 189 in July, but the reigning featherweight champion was forced to pull out of the match after sustaining a rib injury in training.

McGregor then agreed to face Chad Mendes, who was picked to replace Aldo. McGregor scored an impressive win, knocking Mendes out in the second round of their showdown to claim the interim featherweight title.

With the decision to stage the fight at MGM Grand Garden, White also confirmed that the proposed match between UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate will be scheduled at a later date. UFC previously hinted that they could stage both bouts in one fight date at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

"If we were going to go to Dallas Cowboys Stadium, that's another story," White said of the original plan to feature both Aldo and Rousey in one show. "But the MGM really wanted the fight and they made a huge effort for it and they got it. And it works out better for us to be in Las Vegas."

Rousey, who holds a perfect 12-0 record, has already agreed to face Tate for the third time. The unbeaten champion recently successfully defended her title via a first-round knockout victory against Bethe Correa on Aug. 1 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Rousey is also being linked to a showdown with Invicta FC featherweight champion Cris "Cyborg" Justino, but it appears the two sides still have a lot of issues to settle before agreeing to a deal.

Related