It’s been awhile since UFC fans have seen Jose Aldo in the Octagon, and apparently fans of the featherweight champion will have to wait longer.
Aldo hasn’t been cleared to even train yet and the delay has forced the UFC to considering creating an interim title and crowning an interim champion.
The decision on a new champ must be made by October according to UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta but according to Aldo’s camp, this timeline doesn’t any pressure on Aldo to rush his rehab treatment.
“He’s already felling better. He did some light training Monday and didn’t feel anything. We will decide this week when he’ll be able to train hard again and then we’ll know if he can fight in October. He wants to fight as soon as possible, and it would be great to fight (in Rio) in October, but I don’t know if that will work. It’s too soon to give you an answer about fighting in October.”
Pederneiras, doesn’t agree with the promotion’s decision to create an interim belt for the featherweight division, citing other fighters being given the appropriate time to heal as the precedent by which he bases his opinion.
“The UFC can do anything they want, actually. If they want to create two or three interim titles, they can do it. But I will also ask for an interim title for (Anthony) Pettis, who hasn’t fought since August, and (Cain) Velasquez, who hasn’t fought since October,” he said. “I haven’t heard any talks about interim title for those guys, so I don’t see why an interim title for Aldo. It’s unfair. The reason for creating an interim title is time, and Aldo is the one to fight most recently among these three.”
If the featherweight champion is medically cleared to compete in October, Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes is expected to take place at the UFC 179 pay-per-view card in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Oct. 25.
