BREAKING NEWS: Jose Aldo has officially been ruled out, Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes is the new UFC 189 main event -- CLICK HERE.
Much to the chagrin of some, Chad Mendes was pegged to be Jose Aldo's back up against Conor McGregor at UFC 189 on July 11, 2015, just in case the Brazilian's ribs prevent him from defending his title against the fiery Irishman.
And even though it's likely not the easiest of things preparing for a fight that may never happen, Mendes says the way he gets his mind right is by shutting out any possibility of Aldo coming back. Which is the reason he revealed on "The MMA Hour" that he is treating the situation as if he's fighting.
No ifs, ands or buts.
For McGregor's sake, however, "Money" says he better pray that Aldo somehow makes it to UFC 189 if he wants to avoid the one-sided beatdown Mendes has in store for him.
"As soon as they gave me the call and told me to get ready, I basically shut out any possibility that Aldo was coming back. I'm treating this like I am fighting Conor for the title. I'm getting my weight down, I'm coming up with a game plan, going over it, fine-tuning cardio. I'm pretending like I'm getting in there and I'm fighting. That's my mindset. I wake up every morning, I sit there and gameplan stuff when I'm laying in bed before I get out. Every single morning when I wake up. I'm excited. I think this is a great matchup for me. Conor is a tough guy, but, he is a guy that I know I can beat. He better pray that Aldo can get in there and fight because I am going to mess that dude up."
On the flip side, not many people are considering the fact that "Notorious" has to prepare for a potential unexpected opponent, as well, after he agreed to Mendes as a potential last-minute replacement.
It's something Mendes was surprised McGregor agreed to based on the fact that he and Aldo have two very different fight styles.
Then again, with some many Irish fans making the long, expensive trip to "Sin City" to see their hero in action, it seems McGregor didn't have much of a choice but to agree to stay on the card ... with or without Aldo.
But, will the decision backfire on "Notorious?"