Soares clarifies: Aldo's injuries aren't new, and he never bailed on Mendes fight
That's what his manager, Ed Soares, today told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) in an effort to set the record straight.
An injured Aldo (19-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), of course, recently had to push back a targeted August title fight with top contender Chad Mendes (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC). But, Soares said, the injuries aren't new, and the champ never bailed on the Mendes fight.
Following his unanimous-decision victory over Mark Hominick at this past month's UFC 129 event, Aldo and his next title fight were hot topics. In the post-UFC 129 press conference, UFC president Dana White said he planned to match Aldo with the undefeated Mendes at UFC 133, which takes place Aug. 6 in Philadelphia.
However, due to lacerations suffered in the fight, Ontario's athletic commission issued Aldo a 30-day suspension after UFC 129, which shut down his training. Additionally, while recently in Las Vegas for the UFC Fighter Summit, Aldo was sent to some of the UFC's doctors to have some preexisting injuries examined.
Aldo then returned to Brazil to "rest and relax," but UFC officials soon summoned him to Los Angeles for additional medical attention.
"He had to come back to Vegas for additional testing, at which point an MRI revealed some issues," said Soares, who declined to give details on the injuries. "They're not serious injuries, but they need to be addressed."
Soares, though, stressed that they're not new injuries and first developed during the fighter's WEC days. In fact, "They've been around since the Mike Brown fight (in late 2009)," he said.
Rather than surgery, Aldo is undergoing an intensive rehabilitation schedule.
"He's going to do three weeks of five-times-a-week physical therapy," Soares said. "Then he'll do two weeks of three times a week, and then he'll do one week with two rehab sessions."
By the time that schedule is completed and Aldo gets in a 12-week fight camp, he's looking at a September return.
Mendes, though, doesn't want to wait, as his manager, Mike Roberts, recently told MMAjunkie.com. Instead, he wants to remain on the UFC 133 card, title or not. Soares respects Mendes' decision, but he stressed that it's not a matter of Aldo pulling out of the fight.
"We have to respect his choice," Soares aid. "It's completely up to Chad and the UFC. But if he wants to wait until September, we're than happy to fight him. If the UFC wants Jose to fight someone else, then he's happy to do that too."
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