Conor McGregor silenced doubters with a thrilling knockout victory over respected featherweight contender Chad Mendes at UFC 189 to win the UFC's interim featherweight title. The match was entertaining, but still a let down from what was originally scheduled-a high-profile clash with regular champion Jose Aldo, the top-ranked fighter in the company pound-for-pound.
Aldo withdrew from the fight because of a rib injury sustained during camp. Aldo is chomping at the bit for his crack at McGregor now, and said he will resume training in as soon as two weeks.
"I'm still recovering, should be back to training in two weeks," Aldo said. "I'll do more exams. As soon as the doctor clears me, I'll be back to training." Aldo was cleared by doctors to participate in the UFC 189 main event, but Aldo withdrew anyway claiming his injury was too painful to battle through. After his win, McGregor insinuated Aldo's withdrawal was cowardly.
"I'm just gonna let that be in the past because there's no point in bringing anything up in my mind," McGregor said after being asked about a future fight with Jose Aldo. "Just know that I had a hell of a lot more wrong with me than a bruised rib, and I still showed up."
McGregor is slated to be a coach in the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, against a team led by Urijah Faber. They will not face one another in their next fight though as is typical for TUF coaches because McGregor vs. Aldo is the priority. The tough talk hasn't subsided either, with Aldo launching a verbal jab most recently.
"We will run through him no matter when the fight happens, but his time will come," Aldo said. "When it does, you can be sure we will smash him."
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