It's been an interesting few days in the world of MMA. Jose Aldo was in, then he was out, then he was in again and now it's pretty much 50-50. When reports first emerged it seemed certain that UFC 189 would be missing the featherweight champ.
He'd broken a rib in sparring and would be out for over a month at the very least. There were conflicting reports and on Wednesday it was simply a matter of waiting to find out something official. Then it came, there was no fracture, instead it was bruising and some damage to cartilage.
McGregor himself has been surprisingly quiet on the matter so far. There's been some not so subtle jibes on social media but, for the most part, McGregor has been largely reserved.
However, now McGregor has been given the opportunity to expand upon his thoughts and he didn't disappoint. Speaking to MMA Junkie, the Dubliner was initially understanding when asked for his thoughts on Aldo's injury. 'The body breaks, that's what happens' said McGregor.
However, he quickly snapped out of that and had a message for the Brazilian when talking about the fact that the fight is still very much up in the air.
Little bit of ice, little bit of ibuprofen, little bit of ‘toughen the fuck up,’ and we should get on with the fight.
As things stand, Aldo is in for July 11th. However, with Chad Mendes on stand-by for an interim title bout, McGregor is all too aware that the scheduled fight against the champion is still far from certain.
Aldo may want to fight but the Nevada State Athletic Commission could rule that he is unfit to take his place as late as the weigh-in on July 10th. That leaves McGregor in a very curious position. One day before the fight and he still won't know who he is facing. That's a daunting prospect but, as tends to happen, McGregor doesn't seem too bothered.
I don’t give a fuck really. I don’t care. I’ll be there July 10 at 145 pounds, and on July 11, I will have a gold belt wrapped around my waist. So everything else means nothing to me.
Mendes may seem like a poor substitute at this stage but, in reality, he is anything but. He's still one of the best featherweights in the world and one thing's for certain, Conor McGregor is going to put on a hell of a show in Vegas on July 11th.
