Speaking at a media conference, Dana White revealed news on Anthony Pettis‘ recovery from his various injuries. Our own Jeremy Botter was in attendance for the press conference and reported the following (via Twitter):
On Pettis: doc says screws out of hand. Knee recovering but July 4 week too soon.
— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) February 13, 2014
The lightweight champion injured both knees in 2013. He was forced to withdraw from a UFC 163 bout with Jose Aldo due to a knee injury, but he came back a month later and fought then-champion Ben Henderson. While he would take the belt with a first-round armbar, he hurt his opposite knee and has been out since.
That, however, has not stopped a potential super-fight between Pettis and Aldo from becoming one of the hottest topics in MMA. Negotiations for the fight, however, have been stunted by Pettis‘ current injury, as well as his general inability to stay healthy, which caused concerns in Aldo and his management team (White spoke on the topic on UFC Tonight).
While Pettis was targeting a return on July 5, this seems to nix that plan.
That also opens the door for (at the very least) one more fight for Jose Aldo as the featherweight champion. There are many potential contenders for Aldo, particularly Cub Swanson and Chad Mendes.
White did not give any particulars on Aldo’s future or when we could see Pettis finally make his comeback. A featherweight title fight between Aldo and either Swanson or Mendes seems likely this Summer. Pettis‘ timetable for return, meanwhile, remains a mystery.
Stick with Bleacher Report for more news on either fighter as it becomes available.
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