Conor McGregor has said his preparations for his UFC 189 featherweight title clash with Jose Aldo have not been affected by reports the Brazilian has fractured a rib.
It was reported on Tuesday that Aldo had suffered the injury in training, putting in doubt the 11 July fight in t the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
On Wednesday McGregor took to Twitter to reassure his fans that his preparations had not been affected, and that he would “see you all” on the day of the fight.
“Just know that it is business as usual up here at the top,” McGregor wrote. “See you all on July 11th.”
On Tuesday, UFC President Dana White sough to reassure fans with a two-word message on Twitter: “Relax everyone”.
There has not yet been any official confirmation from Aldo’s camp about the nature and extent of the injury, though Aldo’s coach, Andre Pederneiras, reportedly told Combate that the champion was “devastated” by the injury.
"He wants this fight bad, everybody invested a lot in this. I was with him the whole afternoon. He's heartbroken. He wants to fight anyway. Now we have to wait until the exam results. Aldo is in deep pain" - Andre Pederneiras
Pederneiras said that after the injury occurred, from a roundhouse kick by training partner Alcides Nunes, Aldo finished the round before saying he could not continue. It was the first time Pederneiras had seen Aldo say he could not go on, he said.
Pederneiras said: "He cried. He wants this fight bad, everybody invested a lot in this. I was with him the whole afternoon. He's heartbroken. He wants to fight anyway. Now we have to wait until the exam results. Aldo is in deep pain.
"If the fracture is really confirmed, Aldo will have to stop training, do nothing for three to four weeks until it's fixed, and then he would not be able to do any exercise without forcing his rib.
"And then he would need the normal time to do a training camp: three months. I believe this fight wouldn't happen before October."
Aldo will now await the results of tests on the injury, which could lead to his involvement in the fight being vetoed on medical grounds.
Just know that it is business as usual up here at the top. See you all on July 11th. pic.twitter.com/WXGPRFWj0y
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 24, 2015
