The hype leading up to the José Aldo and Conor McGregor fight at UFC 189 for next Saturday night for the UFC featherweight championship has been great. Almost every MMA fan has been waiting for this fight ever since it was announced and sadly, this match-up will have to wait. UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday night on Sports Center that the featherweight champion Aldo is being ruled out of the upcoming event with a rib injury he suffered during training camp. Chad Mendes will be replacing Aldo at UFC 189, facing off against McGregor for the interim featherweight championship.

During his MMA career, Aldo has a record of 25-1,14 wins by knockout, two by submission, nine by judge decision, with his only loss coming via submission. There is a reason why Aldo is probably the number one best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world. He has great striking, great speed on his jabs, and knows how to wear his opponents down; you can not leave him any openings, that is where he is at his best. The Brazilian knows how to take you to the ground; as well, his ground game is something not to be underestimated.

His challenger McGregor has a record of 17-2, 15 wins by knockout, one submission, and one by judge decision; his two losses came by submissions. McGregor had a great chance to defeat Aldo and win the featherweight belt. He is a great striker, he knows how to use his punches and has heavy hands. Ever since coming into the UFC, he has become a household name and fan favorite.

Losing Aldo to injury is a big blow to the UFC and to the fans of the sport. To the fans, this was a fight that they wanted to see since it was announced. Now with Aldo out for a while, the fans will have to wait for the dream match to finally become a reality. This fight was mostly going to draw a lot of pay-per-view buyers, but now with the news that Aldo is out, the sales are not expected to be anywhere as high as before.

With the decision to put in Mendes to replace Aldo just one week before the fight happens is smart. The company did not want to wait last minute to find another fighter to fill in for Aldo, which would be bad for the name of the company. Mendas is a good replacement for him and McGregor should be able to put on a good entertaining fight.

This writer's prediction is McGregor going to become interim champion and he will get his match with Aldo when he is eventually 100 percent healthy.