Big UFC Main Event Is Off, New Main Event Announced, Jose Aldo Targets 2017 For UFC Fight
- A new main event has been tabbed for UFC Fight Night 101, as Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker take the headline role. The November card from Australia was expected to feature Luke Rockhold-Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, but Rockhold was injured and forced out of action.
Brunson and Whittaker are both slotted inside the Top-10 of the middleweight division. They will meet from the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne live on FOX Sports 1.
Below is the current fight card:
* Middleweight: Derek Brunson vs. Robert Whittaker
* Middleweight: Dan Kelly vs. Chris Camozzi
* Welterweight: Richard Walsh vs. Jonathan Meunier
* Lightweight: Jake Matthews vs. Andrew Holbrook
* Welterweight: Kyle Noke vs. Omari Akhmedov
* Featherweight: Dan Hooker vs. Jason Knight
* Lightweight: Damien Brown vs. Jon Tuck
* Flyweight: Ben Nguyen vs. Geane Herrera
* Featherweight: Yusuke Kasuya vs. Alex Volkanovski
* Flyweight: Yao Zhikui vs. Jenel Lausa
- Jose Aldo will fight again, according to his coach Andre Pederneiras. A report by Combate states that Aldo is targeting an early 2017 unification match with Conor McGregor for the UFC featherweight title. The Brazilian currently holds the interim belt and has recently stated his desires to do something other than MMA after officials paired McGregor with Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205.
"Aldo wants to do the other things, but in the conversations we had (with the UFC), it became clear that they're not going to let him do that," Pederneiras said. "There's nothing we can do. We have to fight.
"If he goes back to fight, he will only fight to unify the title, independent of who it's against. Aldo will accept no other fight unless it's to unify the title."
Aldo, who lost to McGregor last year for the title, won the interim belt this past July vs. Frankie Edgar.