UFC
Erik Koch decides to wait for Jose Aldo to return for UFC Featherweight Championship bout
Jun 12, 2012 - 8:05:07 PM Erik Koch decides to wait for Jose Aldo to return for UFC Featherweight Championship bout

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The Featherweight Championship bout between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch won't take place at UFC 149 last month, but the fight will remain intact.

According to a report from MMAWeekly.com, Aldo's injury isn't serious, and Koch will hold out until he's ready to go. As the delay isn't expected to be a long one, Koch doesn't want to give up his shot at the title.

The UFC had hoped to put the fight on as early as next weekend's UFC 147 event in Brazil, but Aldo wasn't ready to return by then. According to a separate report from Yahoo!, Aldo then suffered a left thigh strain that made him push his return back further. He hasn't fought since knocking out Chad Mendes in January in his third Title defense in the UFC.

Koch's title shot came about by process of elimination, but the 23-year-old still earned his spot with a four fight winning streak, including two straight in the UFC. However, he's also been out of action for some time, most recently fighting last September in a win over Ultimate Fighter winner Jonathan Brookins.

Penick's Analysis: That's the right move for Koch if Aldo is only going to be out for a short amount of time. This fight could be a co-headliner on the September 1 card under Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson, or it could be a part of the UFC 152 card later in September in Toronto, the city where Aldo made his UFC debut with his win over Mark Hominick. The payday for Koch is in the title fight, so sticking with the delay is the smart play at this point.