Mendes (photo) would face Aldo in August. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
The war of words between José Aldo e Chad Mendes to be continued. This time, the next challenger for the UFC featherweight belt accused the division champion of taking banned substances, which would be one of the reasons for Aldo to withdraw from the fight that would be held on August 2, in Los Angeles (USA).
According to Mendes, Aldo's exit from the fight has nothing to do with an injury: for him, the Brazilian left his commitment precisely because of the start of random anti-doping tests, which have already caught, for example, Chael Sonnen in may.
“I definitely think Aldo is using steroids. This is something that has already been happening, but for him to give up the fight like that, out of nowhere – he's already done this in several other fights – I think it's too much of a coincidence. I would say probably 80% of fighters are using something. It's funny that, as soon as the stories about the random tests started, he got injured and left the fight the next day”, said Mendes, in an interview with the North American website “Sherdog”.
READ TOO:
- Aldo is injured and is out of a rematch with Mendes
- Mendes warns: ‘You can’t run from me forever’
- Aldo responds to criticism and calls Mendes ‘lax’
The fighter approves of carrying out random tests, but says he is suspicious of the efficiency of carrying them out outside the United States. “I like the random tests. The only thing I question about the system is what we can do with guys outside the United States. Can we trust the tests that are carried out in Japan or Brazil? I was thinking about it these days. If someone knocks on Aldo's door in Brazil and says he needs a test, Aldo can give that guy $1000 and send him away. I think something like this could happen very easily. I just want to know the system and know that it can be reliable”, he said.
Mendes enjoyed seeing the outburst made by Aldo at the end of last week. For the North American, the champion's harsh response is a sign that he managed to enter the Brazilian's mind. “It was the first time I saw something like this. I had never seen Aldo attack like that, losing his temper. I'm on your mind. This means a lot to take the belt from him”, he analyzed.
Finally, Mendes insisted that he will do everything to prevent the rematch between them from taking place in Brazil. “I want it to be a fair fight. I went there the first time, I fought in his backyard. So, it would be fair if he came and fought in my backyard. Let's do a fight in each place and see what happens. We're still working on it. I spoke to the UFC and there is a 50% chance that the fight will end up being in Brazil. We’re trying to make sure it’s not, but we don’t know for sure,” he said.
Comments