UFC® announced Tuesday that featherweight champion Jose Aldo has withdrawn from his upcoming title defense against No.3 ranked featherweight Conor McGregor due to injury. As a result Chad Mendes (17-2, fighting out of Sacramento, CA), the No.2 ranked UFC featherweight contender, will step in to face McGregor (17-2, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) in a five-round main event for the interim UFC featherweight title on Saturday, July 11 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Fathom Events and UFC will broadcast UFC® 189: MENDES vs. MCGREGOR live to select U.S. movie theaters at 7 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. MT / 9 p.m. CT / 10 p.m. ET (countdown show starts 30 minutes prior).
Full UFC release:
** MEDIA ALERT **
CHAD MENDES STEPS IN FOR INTERIM UFC® FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST CONOR MCGREGOR AT UFC 189® ON JULY 11
Champion Jose Aldo Forced To Withdraw Due To Injury
DENVER – July 6, 2015 – UFC® announced Tuesday that featherweight champion Jose Aldo has withdrawn from his upcoming title defense against No.3 ranked featherweight Conor McGregor due to injury. As a resultChad Mendes (17-2, fighting out of Sacramento, CA), the No.2 ranked UFC featherweight contender, will step in to face McGregor (17-2, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) in a five-round main event for the interim UFC featherweight title on Saturday, July 11 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Fathom Events and UFC will broadcast UFC® 189: MENDES vs. MCGREGOR live to select U.S. movie theaters at 7 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. MT / 9 p.m. CT / 10 p.m. ET (countdown show starts 30 minutes prior).
UFC® 189: MENDES vs. MCGREGOR showcases two title fights in the Octagon®. In addition to the main event, UFC welterweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (25-10, fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL by way of San Diego, CA) will face Rory “Red King” MacDonald (18-2, fighting out of Montreal, Quebec Canada by way of Quesnel, B.C. Canada) in a rematch with the welterweight title on the line.
Tickets to watch UFC® 189: MENDES vs. MCGREGOR on the big screen are available at participating theater box offices and at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in nearly 100 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are live and subject to change.
