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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Jose Aldo is out of UFC 189.
Dana White, with Conor McGregor sitting alongside him in an interview on ESPN's Sportscenter, announced on Tuesday night that Aldo has pulled out because of his rib injury, and Conor McGregor will face Chad Mendes for the Interim Featherweight Championship.
"If a man is scared for his life, we cannot force him to face me," McGregor said. "Rightfully so the belt should be taken from him and we should contest for the Interim belt, or in my opinion the real belt. I just feel he was beaten mentally before I had the chance to beat him physically... I felt throughout the world tour and all the build up he was looking for a way out. Thankfully for his coach and his team they found a way out."
As for his new opponent, McGregor's confidence isn't shaken in the slightest.
"I'm going to demolish him," he said. "I'm going to rip his head off."
"I think it's going to be a great fight," White added. "Anybody who doesn't know, Chad Mendes literally just fought Jose Aldo in a five round war, one of the best fights I've ever seen. So it should be fun."
Penick's Analysis: Well, it really sucks that we're not getting Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor right now, but it's probably for the best that Aldo isn't trying to fight through an injury like that. As for Mendes-McGregor, if the Irishman can pull it off, the UFC will still have a major fight on their hands with Aldo later this year. Unfortunately there's every possibility that the fight just doesn't come together, because Mendes may wind up being stylistic kryptonite for McGregor. We'll find out in a week and a half, but at least fans coming to Las Vegas next week know what's happening.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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