It's no longer a secret that Conor McGregor damaged his knee in the leadup to UFC 189. The Irishman says he was barely able to walk and that it was only two weeks before the bout that he started throwing kicks again.

The media didn't pick up on the injury but according to "The Notorious", Jose Aldo and his camp were well aware of the situation and even celebrated the news.

"I had a busted up leg and they [Aldo's team] knew I had a busted up leg and they planned to target it," McGregor said during a recent conference call. "They celebrated that because it happened on the World Tour. They knew it; their whole camp knew. They celebrated and plotted a way to attack it."

McGregor was scheduled to collide with long-time champion Jose Aldo in the main event, but "Scarface" was forced to withdraw from the contest following a rib injury. The SBG Ireland product fought and TKO'd late-replacement Chad Mendes instead, securing the interim featherweight championship in the process.

McGregor vowed to target Aldo's head rather than his injured ribs.

"He bruised his rib and pulled out of the fight. I said to him, ‘Show up and I won't target your body. I'll hit you clean in the face,' and he still didn't show up," McGregor said. "No amount of adversity I cannot conquer. My mind is stronger than anything. I went in with complete belief that my shots would land."

McGregor and Aldo will finally engage in a featherweight title unification bout for the highly anticipated UFC 194 PPV on December 12th. For all UFC 194 coverage, click here.

(Check out the full transcripts at Sherdog.com)