There is some confusion over who Conor McGregor is fighting at UFC 189, but SBG head coach John Kavanagh reckons it will be the featherweight champ.
Reports surfaced last week that claimed Jose Aldo broke his rib training for his upcoming grudge match against Conor McGregor.
The UFC have since released a statement saying the reports were false and that Aldo had bruised his rib. However, if Aldo is unable to fight because of the injury, Chad Mendes is waiting in the lines to take his place.
Despite the fact that there is a genuine chance that McGregor could be fighting Mendes on July 11th, Kavanagh has an inkling that Aldo will fight regardless of his injury.
“If I had to bet, I would think it’s Aldo.”
He explained on the MMA Hour that the subsequent payday from fighting the Notorious might be too enticing for the Brazilian to turn down.
“I think there’s a lot of money on the line. You read a lot online, but as far as I’ve read he’ s never made the PPV points to make the money on that, and I think that’s a deciding factor.”
“No doubt it is a little bit tender to touch, if he has a bruised rib but a few extra zeros on your cheque might make you suck it up.”
“I’d imagine at this stage he’s feeling a lot better. The training is more or less done for the fight at this stage. I’m sure he’s been hard at it since the world tour. So to just have to put up with a little discomfort, you know it’s very rare for a fight that you go into it without feeling discomfort somewhere.”
Kavanagh added that UFC 189 could Aldo’s last ever fight in MMA.
“I think he’ll do it because i think there’s a lot of money on the line and maybe he’s going to call it a day after this one.”
Aldo has been a professional fighter for over a decade, and Kavanagh reckons that one big payday could be enough to convince him to call it a day.
“He seems to have a very close relationship with his coach and he seems to be calling it a day. He’s a young man but he’s had a very tough ten years in the sport. A lot of guys at his age are only starting to peak whereas he’s been at the top end of his game for a long, long time now.”
“Conor summed it up well, this game breaks you down. It’s just a matter of time before bones start breaking and ligaments start breaking. It’s a short career and he’s had a fantastic one and after this fight, if he gets a big paycheque because of the PPV bonus, he could retire a content man.”
“I wouldn’t be hugely surprised if this is it.”
