UFC 189 – Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor WILL go ahead
Leigh Copson
in UFC/MMA 26 Jun 2021 The UFC has confirmed the featherweight title clash between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor will go ahead at UFC 189 on July 11 – but the promotion has lined up Chad Mendes as a replacement fighter just in case the champion is not fit to fight on the night.
Fight fans across the world have been eagerly awaiting the showdown between Aldo and McGregor, but they were left sweating on Wednesday as news broke that Aldo had suffered an injury in training that could have ruled him out of the fight.
Reports claimed Aldo had suffered a fractured rib and his coach, Andre Pederneiras, admitted the problem could prevent him from fighting until October at the earliest.
“He wants this fight bad, everybody invested a lot in this,” Pederneiras told Combate.
“I was with him the whole afternoon. He’s heartbroken. He wants to fight anyway. Now we have to wait for the exam results. Aldo is in deep pain. “If the fracture is really confirmed, Aldo will have to stop training, do nothing for three or four weeks until it’s fixed, and then he would be able to do any exercise without forcing his rib. Then he would need a normal time to do a training camp: three months. I believe this fight wouldn’t happen before October.”
Chad Mendes is on stand-by. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)However, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has now confirmed the fight WILL go ahead as planned, but if Aldo is ruled out at a later date he will be replaced by former title challenger Chad Mendes, who has lost two featherweight showdowns with Aldo.
“In light of recent reports regarding the status of UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, UFC has received official medical confirmation from several doctors that Aldo did not suffer a broken rib,” read a statement on UFC.com.
“Following a review of the scans, it has been determined that the champion suffered a bone bruise to his rib and cartilage injury during training. “With this news, Aldo has expressed that he has every intention of facing Conor McGregor at UFC 189. While Aldo has indicated that he will compete in Las Vegas on July 11, UFC has confirmed a contingency plan. Number one featherweight contender Chad Mendes will face McGregor for the interim UFC featherweight championship in the event Aldo cannot compete.”
Thomas Rooney
Want the lowdown on the movers and shakers in some far-flung football league? Crunch Sports' Thomas Rooney is your go-to guy. Multilingual and forever scouring the world's newspapers for a scoop, this guy regularly wins our office MVP awards.
Want the lowdown on the movers and shakers in some far-flung football league? Crunch Sports' Thomas Rooney is your go-to guy. Multilingual and forever scouring the world's newspapers for a scoop, this guy regularly wins our office MVP awards.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.