Chad Mendes Still Gunning to Fight at UFC 133, Aldo Expects to Return by September or October

Chad Mendes lands the flying knee on Javier Vazquez

Chad Mendes will not be fighting Jose Aldo at UFC 133 in August, but the UFC’s top featherweight contender still intends to compete on the card.

MMAWeekly.com first reported last week that the fight between Aldo and Mendes was in jeopardy with several sources stating that Aldo could still be dealing with injuries following his five-round fight with Mark Hominick at UFC 129 in Toronto.

While Aldo is indeed out for the Aug. 6 fight card and current rumors have stated he’ll be ready to compete again by late September, the Brazilian champion insists he is not injured.

“Let me be clear I’m not hurt again, I’m not hurt,” Aldo wrote via his Twitter account. “I picked up a suspension (from) the Canadian commission and therefore should only return to training (after) 30 days this month. So once again, I’m not injured.”

Aldo went on to state he should be back by October at the latest.

That leaves No. 1 contender Chad Mendes without a fight, but the Team Alpha Male fighter will not be sitting and waiting for Aldo to return to action.

Mendes’ manager, Mike Roberts from MMA Inc., confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that they have decided to get back in action and not risk sitting out and waiting. Roberts points to a similar situation with another client of his, Anthony Pettis, who chose to not sit and wait for a fight, and instead faces Clay Guida in just two weeks.

Pettis was set to be the challenger for the winner of the fight between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, but following a draw in their last fight at UFC 125, and now with both fighters injured, the former WEC champion would likely have been out waiting somewhere around a year if he had waited.

Mendes is hopeful to still compete at UFC 133 in Philadelphia against another tough challenger according to Roberts.

The list of potential opponents may be short due to many of the top featherweights already being booked for fights, but names like Rani Yahya, Mackens Semerzier, Leonard Garcia, or Chan Sung Jung could be viable opposition.

MMAWeekly.com will have more information on Mendes’ next fight when it becomes available.

Damon Martin is the lead staff writer and radio host for MMAWeekly.com.
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