UFC featherweight and Team Alpha Male fighter Chad Mendes has been tapped as the standby fighter in the event that Jose Aldo can’t fight at UFC 189.

‘Money’ Mendes talked to MMAJunkie about the whole situation and said that as of now, he just has to prepare like he’s fighting next month and will do that all the way up to weigh-ins.

“As of right now, I have to pretend I’m fighting. I’m training. I’ve got to get my weight down. I’ve got two weeks to cut the weight and get on point. This is going to be the craziest two weeks of my life, but it’s an opportunity I’d never turn down.”

“There’s a lot riding on this fight. Worst-case scenario, I’m going to train just like I have been, make weight in two weeks, show up to Vegas, and if Aldo fights, I get to sit there and watch a badass fight. It sucks I’ve got to make weight (if I can’t fight), but what the hell: I’ll be pigging out in Vegas.”

So either he fights and gets a shot at the interim featherweight title, or he sits at the buffet and pigs out, not bad options at all.

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