The UFC’s worst nightmare for the upcoming UFC 189 event has come true as teatherweight champion Jose Aldo has been forced to pull out of the highly anticipated title fight with Conor McGregor due to a rib injury. The UFC will now pit McGregor against top contender Chad Mendes for an interim version of the title, and the bout will still go down on July 11.
Early odds for the new Mendes-McGregor match have McGregor a slight (-140) favorite, with Mendes returning at (+120).
The blow to the UFC is immeasurable, through no fault of their own. The bottom line is they will not be delivering the most hyped fight of all time anymore and that hurts. From McGregor’s perspective, Aldo and Mendes are very different opponents, and though he would be criticized for pulling out, it would be understandable if he did. Former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones shutdown a UFC event because of his refusal to take a fight under similar circumstances. McGregor’s reluctant acceptance of his new opponent is commendable.
The UFC rushing Mendes into this fight puts Mendes in the best possible position. He has already lost two title fights against Aldo, so this shot is unexpected. But Mendes’ wrestling- and grappling-based style gives him an edge over McGregor and will certainly force McGregor to adjust his gameplan. Should McGregor lose, the UFC loses a fighter they have pushed to the stratosphere.
Mendes could emerge with the belt and be asked to defend against Frankie Edgar in a showdown between the two top contenders. The assumption is that the winner of a Mendes-Edgar battle would be matched up to unite the blet with Aldo, who has not been stripped.
There is one way that McGregor can come out ahead in all of this: A decisive win over Mendes could go a long way in building up the controversial fighter’s credibility.
