Following Injury to Jose Aldo, UFC 176 ‘Postponed’

The UFC’s return to Los Angeles is on hold.

Following the shoulder and spine injuries suffered by featherweight champion Jose Aldo, the promotion has decided to postpone the event.

UFC 176 was scheduled to take place from the Staples Center on Aug. 2 and air live on pay-per-view. Given the short amount of time available to find a replacement opponent for Aldo’s challenger, Chad Mendes, the promotion was left with little choice but to cancel the event. All other fights on the card will be pushed to upcoming cards, while the title tilt will be rescheduled for when Aldo is healthy again.

Aldo was slated to enter the contest riding a gaudy, 17-fight winning streak that spans eight years. The Brazilian has never tasted defeat inside the Octagon and has now defended his UFC crown six times. He was last in action in February at UFC 169 where he cruised to a unanimous decision win over Ricardo Lamas. Aldo previously faced Mendes at UFC 142 in early 2012 in his native Brazil. He knocked out Mendes in the waning seconds of the opening round with a knee.

Mendes, meanwhile, was seeking redemption against the Brazilian. The loss to Aldo was the first and only defeat on his record. Since that time, he’s reeled off five straight wins, including four by way of knockout. Along the way, Mendes became the first man to finish the ultra-durable Clay Guida with strikes. The Team Alpha Male fighter most recently defeated Nik Lentz via unanimous decision at UFC on Fox 9 in December of last year.

More details, as well as the Aldo-Mendes reschedule date, will be posted as soon as they are available.