The UFC 176 main event between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes has been cancelled.
Aldo was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injuries sustained in training, the UFC announced late Wednesday.
No replacement has been announced and it’s uncertain if Mendes will remain on the Aug. 2 card that takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The bout was a rematch two-and-a-half years in the making. Aldo handed Mendes his first and only career loss when he knocked him out with a knee back when the two met in the main event of UFC 142 in Brazil in January 2012.
Since the loss, Mendes (16-1) has won five in a row, including four by knockout. The Team Alpha Male member is coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory over Nik Lentz in December. He also holds notable wins over Clay Guida, Michihiro Omigawa and Erik Koch.
Aldo (24-1) is one of the top pound-for-pound talents in MMA and is a perfect 14-0 in his UFC/WEC career. The 27-year-old champion defeated Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision in the UFC 169 co-main event in February. The Brazilian has won 17 straight fights overall, during which he’s defeated the likes of Urijah Faber, Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian, Chan Sung Jung, Mike Brown and Canadian Mark Hominick among others.
It’s unknown exactly how long Aldo will be out of action for. According to Mike Chiappetta of FOX Sports, Aldo injured his labrum and herniated a cervical disc after falling and hitting his head on the floor while training.
