UFC 189 was supposed to be Jose Aldo defending his UFC Featherweight Championship against Conor McGregor. The UFC threw money into the promotion for the fight, but an injury sidelined the champion.
Enter Chad Mendes and an interim title belt.
McGregor was taken down but proved to be tough as nails as he got back to his feet to finish off the American wrestler in the second round on Saturday. The UFC’s newest superstar came through in a big way, and the question of what was next loomed after the fight.
Frankie Edgar stood outside the Octagon and talked briefly with McGregor. He appeared to want a shot at McGregor and the interim title.
At the post-fight press conference, Dana White was non-committal about anything regarding McGregor and Aldo. He did not divulge any information about a possible date, but the same cannot be said for Lorenzo Fertitta.
Per Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Fertitta says the UFC would probably schedule the Aldo-McGregor unification bout for January 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Casino. The company has a hold on the arena for that date already, as the New Year’s fight card is usually one of the UFC’s premier dates.
There are still a lot of details to work out. Aldo is recovering from his rib injury, and McGregor is coming off the fight at UFC 189. There is no timetable for a bout for either man at this juncture, but the UFC seemingly wants this fight to be next for the featherweight division.
It is the UFC’s money fight.
The promotion returns to Ireland in October. That would seemingly be a prime spot for McGregor to defend the interim title, but it would be a big risk for the UFC. That decision would likely come down to the health of Aldo and if the UFC needs McGregor to defend the belt on that date. It seems unlikely the Irish crowd will get the hometown boy on that card.
Aldo vs. McGregor is the biggest fight the UFC can possibly make at this point in time. It makes sense the powers that be want to do this fight as soon as possible and not risk losing it again.
The McGregor victory at UFC 189 only made the fight bigger. The media surrounding the unification bout will be enormous, and the UFC will want to make sure this fight happens on the biggest stage possible.
White also stated at the post-fight presser that Aldo vs. McGregor would happen in Las Vegas. When a reporter asked about the possibility of AT&T Stadium, White remarked that it is hard to leave Vegas. It is the fight capital of the world. With a fight the size of Aldo vs. McGregor, it will be hard to take it anywhere other than Vegas.
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