Despite proclaiming Jose Aldo able to fight at UFC 189, the UFC has made it clear that there’s an injury replacement waiting in case Aldo isn’t up to the battle.
A statement released on UFC.com names Chad Mendes as Aldo’s replacement in the event the champion can’t compete.
While Aldo has indicated that he will compete in Las Vegas on July 11, UFC has confirmed a contingency plan. No.1 featherweight contender Chad Mendes will face McGregor for the interim UFC featherweight championship in the event Aldo cannot compete.
UFC remains committed to delivering the featherweight and the welterweight championship fights at UFC 189 during UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
That’s not the most confident of statements figuring the fight is less than 3 weeks away.
It seems as though Aldo pulling out of the fight is still a huge concern for the UFC and they don’t want to lose out on the mega-promo campaign that they have had for Conor McGregor. The scary part is that McGregor could very well lose to Mendes and blow any chance of the huge fight the UFC had envisioned.