UFC 189 was the most hyped pay-per-view of the year. Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, who were set to square off in the main event, conducted an exhaustive world tour to promote the event. The two featherweights faced off on multiple occasions, and emotions were high.
In a shocking turn of events, Jose Aldo pulled out of the bout at the last minute due to injury, leaving "The Notorious" to take on Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title. The Irishman TKO'd Mendes in the 2nd round and accused Jose of running scared in the post-fight interview.
Aldo vs. McGregor was rebooked as a title-unification bout for UFC 194, with both men returning home to prepare for the bout. McGregor, who flew his SBG team and coaches to Las Vegas in preparation for UFC 189, has spent his UFC 194 training camp in Dublin, Ireland. The 27-year-old appeared to be much more relaxed in a recent interview with Severe MMA.
When Aldo's name was mentioned, McGregor reacted unemotionally with little regard for the reigning featherweight champion.
"Hmmmm......we'll see," McGregor said when asked if he thought Aldo would show for UFC 194. "I'll be there. I have made it. I have put myself through an intense training camp. I'm gonna go and enjoy that beach weather, get that Vitamin D and make it to fight night. Who cares if he's there or not, I'll be there. I hope he's there, but I don't know."
"Scarface", who suffered a rib injury in sparring prior to UFC 189, has been wearing a protective vest brought in by UFC head Lorenzo Fertitta to help prevent another injury. The Brazilian has promised to hurt McGregor's like he's "never done to anyone before."
UFC 194, which also features a middleweight championship tilt between Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold in the co-main event, takes place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 12th.
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