Jose Aldo Will Still Fight Connor McGregor At UFC 189 Despite Rib Injury — Dana White Has Back-Up Just In Case

Earlier this month, the main event at UFC 189 was in jeopardy when sports news reported current UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo suffered a rib injury. At first, the rib injury was thought to be a broken rib. Then, there were rumors the rib injury story was a farce, fabricated to distract the MMA community away from other rumors Aldo (or someone associated to him) fixed his urine drug test.

Despite rumors and allegations, there is now confirmation Jose Aldo will fight Connor McGregor heading into UFC 189, following-up on the Inquisitr reporting that the fight would only happen if Aldo was cleared. However, Dana White is not taking any chances as he has made it known who McGregor will fight if Aldo were unable to compete for any reason.

According to ABC News, UFC officials examined Jose Aldo on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, to determine the extent of his rib injury. It was determined it was not a fractured rib which gave Aldo the all-clear for his eighth title defense at UFC 189.

“In light of recent reports regarding the status of UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, UFC has received official medical confirmation from several doctors that Aldo did not suffer a broken rib. Following a review of the scans, it has been determined that the champion suffered a bone bruise to his rib and cartilage injury during training.”

This is a relief for UFC fans who want to see if Connor McGregor can back up his brash, eclectic attitude towards Jose Aldo over the past months. This is also a relief for UFC president Dana White too. But unlike everyone else, White is making sure a contingency plan is in place, as reported by Yahoo! Sports. If Jose Aldo cannot compete, Chad Mendes will take his place against Connor McGregor at UFC 189. Not only that, the match will be for the interim UFC featherweight championship.

There will be a UFC featherweight championship match at UFC 189, with or without Jose Aldo. If for some reason Aldo is out, he’ll eventually have the chance to defend it against the winner of the contingent match between Chad Mendes and Connor McGregor. The match will most-likely be a title unification, a match Jose Aldo should remain disciplined in or he might suffer a fate similar to Cain Velasquez at UFC 188.

[Image via UFC 189 Press Conference]