Jose Aldo wants Chad Mendes to 'beat the Joker up' at UFC 189
Jose Aldo hasn't said much since a rib injury forced him to withdraw from UFC 189 just two weeks from arguably the biggest fight of his career. But the UFC's only featherweight champ took some time to respond to short-notice replacement Chad Mendes before his bout with Conor McGregor this weekend.
Mendes, who has twice fought and lost to Aldo, reached out to the Brazilian on Twitter to ask for his support and that of his fans heading into his interim featherweight title fight against McGregor. Typing in Aldo's native Portuguese, Mendes expressed the respect both fighters have for each other, which was undoubtedly solidified after their five-round war back at UFC 179.
The tweet is loosely translated as: "when we compete, we compete. But you always respect me. @thenotoriusmma does not respect anything. Will I have the support of your fans #UFC189?"
Aldo responded less that a day later, in English and Portuguese, letting the American know that he not only has the support of the Brazilian fans, but that of the champion himself.
Following their brawl at UFC 179, Aldo told Brian Stann that he was the king, Mendes was the prince and that McGregor was the joker of the bunch.
McGregor and Mendes will fight for the interim featherweight belt this Saturday at UFC 189, with the winner facing Aldo to unify the belts when the Brazilian returns sometime in October.
.@josealdojunior quando competimos, competimos. Mas voce sempre tem meu respeito. @thenotoriusmma nao ... http://t.co/nKV9qfqECb
— chad mendes (@chadmendes) July 7, 2015
