"If Jose is afraid and won't show up, well then, he's done." McGregor said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. “This is the McGregor show,” he said. “People are showing up to see me."
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It was supposed to be a fight for the ages. UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo against undefeated Irish warrior Conor McGregor (17-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC). Aldo’s agonising withdrawal through injury may have robbed us of that spectacle, but in its place comes a titanic bout that has all of the makings of a classic as McGregor instead takes on Chad Mendes (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) for the interim belt.
“If Jose is afraid and won’t show up, well then, he’s done.” McGregor said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. “This is the McGregor show,” he said. “People are showing up to see me.” The outspoken Conor McGregor has claimed he’ll work his way through the division destroying his opponents along the way and so far he’s backed up all his claims.
UFC President Dana White has brought in Chad Mendes to replace Aldo with only a few weeks’ notice. The two go toe-to-toe in the octagon on Saturday 11th July.
McGregor, whose tongue is as sharp as his suits, has burst onto the MMA scene in magnificent fashion. He’s the name on everyone’s lips. The tough-talking Irishman has now turned his attention to Chad Mendes and it still looks to be every bit as exciting.
McGregor goes in as the 4/7 favourite with the fight looking like it won’t go the distance. He’ll have to be at his best to finish UFC #1 contender Chad Mendes, who is the 13/10 underdog, and cement his reputation as number one fighter in the featherweight division.
Mendes’ only defeats in his MMA career have come against the opponent he is replacing, Aldo, including a five-round war that was arguably one of the best UFC fights in recent years. ‘Money’ Mendes has staggering knockout power and is 4/1 to win the fight within the five rounds. Can he silence ‘The Notorious’ McGregor and go on to a third shot at UFC gold?
We all want to see the two vicious punchers stand and trade blows and hope the fight lives up to the hype and expectation. McGregor has an eight-inch reach advantage and stands three-inches taller than the 5ft 6in Mendes. However, Mendes has superior upper body strength, but will that be enough to beat McGregor?
Both fighters like to stay on their feet but Mendes may want to take this fight to the floor. The all-American wrestler has a superior ground game and questions are still being asked about McGregor’s ability on the mat, the Irishmen has never faced a wrestler and his only two losses have come from submissions. Both fighters currently hold a 100% take down defence record in the UFC. We could easily see one of them will lose it here.
This fight will likely finish within the five rounds, but I can’t see this fight going past the third round. The flashy McGregor is a solid 17/20 to put an end to the fight with a KO or TKO victory. It won’t be an easy victory under any circumstances, and the American’s game plan will surely be to try and expose chinks in the Irishman’s armour, if there are any. It’s McGregor’s toughest fight yet, and one that we hope will live up to the publicity.
