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McGregor is in Vegas preparing for his title fight. Brian Lawless
UFC 189

McGregor: Aldo doesn't need to worry about his ribs, it's the chin I'm hunting

The Dubliner says his Brazilian opponent should ‘toughen up’.

CONOR MCGREGOR INSISTS it’s business as usual as he continues his preparations for next month’s UFC 189 featherweight title showdown despite doubts over who his opponent will be.

Jose Aldo injured his rib while sparring Alcides Nunes earlier in the week and reports suggested the Brazilian would be forced to withdraw from the fight in Las Vegas on 11 July.

But the Ultimate Fighting Championship have allayed fears of fans by revealing Aldo’s injury isn’t as bad as first feared and he will be fit to the octagon in three weeks time.

Medical examinations showed the champion suffered bruising to his rib and a cartilage injury during training but McGregor says Aldo doesn’t need to worry about his ailing ribs when the pair lock horns.

“I’m going to go for the chin; I want to knock him out,” McGregor told MMAJunkie.com.

“He doesn’t need to worry about his ribs, and I’m not going to go out and purposely target an area. If he shows up and fights, which he should do, we’ll fight as scheduled.

“I’m not going to start diving at things. I’m just going to fight my fight. It’s the chin I am hunting.”

In his exclusive column for The42, McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, said the Dubliner’s camp won’t know who his opponent will be until the day before the fight.

American Chad Mendes is on standby and will step-in should Aldo be unable to compete.

“It’s part of the business,” McGregor continued. “It is what it is.

“As long as I am fit and I am healthy, I feel it’s only right that I show up and fight, so 155 was an option because the Aldo fight was looking to be rescheduled until September.”

“But now, now I don’t know. I don’t give a f-ck really. I don’t care. I’ll be there July 10 at 145 pounds, and on July 11, I will have a gold belt wrapped around my waist. So everything else means nothing to me.”

“It turns out it’s just a bruised rib,” McGregor said. “Little bit of ice, little bit of ibuprofen, little bit of ‘toughen the f**k up,’ and we should get on with the fight.”

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