Even with a bone bruise and cartilage damage to one of his ribs, Jose Aldo will persevere for the opportunity to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 189.
An official statement from the UFC on Wednesday confirmed Aldo would enter the Octagon as a participant in the main event for the company's latest marquee showcase at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 11.
Multiple doctors declared Aldo didn't have a broken rib as was previously feared, according to the statement. Should Aldo not be fit enough to ultimately enter the bout, his replacement will be Chad Mendes.
Aldo suffered the injury during a sparring session with partner Alcides Nunes, who explained how he hurt the reigning UFC featherweight champion to MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruz:
I threw a kick but slipped with all the sweat on the mat, and ended up hitting his rib. I was mimicking McGregor's unorthodox style, things he does in the fight. I'm also left-handed, my style is similar to his, so that's why they asked me to be part of his camp, but I ended up slipping and causing this injury.
Ronan O'Flaherty of the Irish Daily Star weighed in on Wednesday's news:
McGregor Vs Aldo is still on. Aldo didn't break a rib after all. No wonder Dana White told everyone to relax. He was in on it. #UFC189
— Ronan O'Flaherty (@ronanoflaherty) June 25, 2015
McGregor weighed in on the news as well on Wednesday, saying "It turned out he just had a little period pain."
Since a backup plan is in place, there still has to be a question as to just how healthy Aldo is. Any body blow to the rib area will still be extremely painful, and it could result in a broken rib if McGregor strikes him just right.
It's a valiant effort for Aldo to go forward with the fight if he ultimately does. However, there's also considerable risk being taken on. McGregor boasts a 17-2 record, hasn't lost since joining the UFC and will be eager to prove himself in this highly anticipated showdown.
There is still some time remaining for Aldo to recuperate ahead of what will hopefully be an eighth successful UFC title defense. Aldo will need to utilize all he can from his versatile arsenal and maintain his outstanding takedown defense to knock off McGregor and retain his belt.
