Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes Official For Interim Featherweight Title At UFC 189
Exit one grudge match, enter another.
As mentioned earlier, current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title holder Jose Aldo (25-1) has been forced out of his championship bout with Conor McGregor (17-2) at UFC 189 due to a rib injury. The UFC has announced that Chad Mendes (17-2) will take his place to battle McGregor for the interim title on July 11, 2015 in Las Vegas.
“Scarface” was originally set to begin his attempt at training today (June 30, 2015), but those plans were pushed back until Friday. As it turns out, we didn’t have to wait until the end of the week to know the champion’s UFC 189 status.
Despite coming up short against Aldo twice in his bid for the 145-pound strap, “Money” was picked as a Plan B option over Frankie Edgar if the champ were to go down. While Edgar may not be happy with the decision, Mendes is more than ready to, “mess McGregor up.”
“Notorious” has been on a tear since his UFC debut back in April 2013. In that bout, he earned a TKO victory over Marcus Brimage in the first round. He followed up his stellar debut by fighting through a torn ACL on his way to a unanimous decision win over Max Holloway. He earned his featherweight title shot with stoppage wins over Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver.
Aside from his two bouts with Aldo, Mendes has been flawless in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. With victories over Clay Guida and Nik Lentz, as well as his admirable effort in his rematch with Aldo, Mendes is considered one of the best featherweights in the world. “Money” was able to secure his spot as a Plan B option with his dominating TKO win over former 145-pound title contender, Ricardo Lamas.
Be sure to keep it locked on LowKickMMA.com for more UFC 189 coverage.
