Leading UFC pundit says Conor McGregor ‘salivating’ to target Jose Aldo’s ribs

Put a bib on and feast on them ribs.

Support for Conor McGregor has been building ahead of his slated world championship tilt against Jose Aldo in Las Vegas, next month. The Notorious is currently preparing for the fight of his life, against the featherweight champion, but may have to face Chad Mendes, on July 11, if the Brazilian cannot compete due to a rib injury picked up in training. Kenny Florian, who lost a title bout against Aldo in 2011, now works as a UFC pundit for FOX. On his regular podcast with John Anik, Florian predicted Mcgregor's main motivation going into the fight. He said, 'As fighters, we go into fights having bumps, bruises, injuries and different things like that. But the fact that Conor knows exactly what the injury is, where it is, and all the other issues makes it very difficult for a fighter like Jose, with so much on the line, to go in there and take that risk.' Florian added:

'At this level, man, if I'm Conor McGregor I'm salivating. Knowing that Jose would have come into this fight with a bad rib injury I'm going to attack it all day. You know all's fair once that bell rings and you're good to go, all is fair and as an opponent you know whatever... it's not cheating once you're in there. If you know that part of the body is injured you can attack it, it's simple as that... Everybody knows where the injury is and Conor McGregor is a devastating body puncher and obviously an awesome kicker as well.'

[caption id="attachment_30343" align="alignnone" width="630"] Kenny Florian and his fianceé Clark Gilmer pictured together in 2014.[/caption] Brian Stann, Florian's FOX colleague, believes a financial imperative will force Aldo into the ring but believes he will open up other areas for McGregor to attack by protecting his ribs. He feels a rematch is inevitable if Aldo loses his belt in Vegas. Meanwhile, UFC veteran Michael Bisping has given his take on the bout. He told Sky Sports, 'Conor has the potential to win this. Stylistically, it’s not a bad match-up for him. The trouble is, Jose has prevailed time and time again... Conor’s more than capable of making the adjustments needed to win.'