LAS VEGAS - UFC 176′s main event featherweight title fight has been wiped out for now thanks to an injury to the champion.
Jose Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has suffered an injury that will keep him from fighting on next month's pay-per-view in Los Angeles against challenger Chad Mendes (16-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC). The news first was reported by Ariel Helwani on "UFC Tonight." MMAjunkie confirmed the news with a UFC official, who said the promotion does not yet know what will become of the card's main event.
UFC 176 is set for Aug. 2 at Los Angeles' Staples Center, and the main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
The nature of Aldo's injury was not immediately known, nor was the duration of the time he'll be on the shelf.
Aldo, who's ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings(and No. 2 pound-for-pound), knocked out Mendes, who's ranked No. 2 at 145 pounds, at UFC 142 in January 2012. Aldo defended his title via first-round knockout from a knee strike, though the champ benefited from a cage-grab just prior to the fight-ending blow.
Mendes has been anxious for a rematch ever since. The 29-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter has won five straight fights (four via knockout) since the title loss while defeating the likes of Darren Elkins and Clay Guida. Most recently, he scored a decision victory over scrappy Nik Lentz at UFC on FOX 9 in December.
Aldo, meanwhile, has won 17 straight fights, most of which have come during his UFC and WEC tenure, while racking up eight consecutive title defenses (six of which have officially come in the UFC). Most recently, the 27-year-old Nova Uniao fighter scored a unanimous-decision victory over Ricardo Lamas in February.
But now the Aldo-Mendes rematch is on hold, and UFC 176 will await news of a new headliner.
