The Dubliner is preparing to fight Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title at UFC 189 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas later this month.
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My decision was made in respect to the UFC and the fans that today see me as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Featherweight champion Jose Aldo suffered a rib injury during training, and the extent of the damage was unclear.
Irishman McGregor will now face Chad Mendes, a former two-time title contender, on July 11 in Las Vegas – although Aldo has dismissed the the interim title as “a toy belt to show his [McGregor’s] drunk friends in his country’s bars”.
Despite initial reports coming out of Brazil that Aldo had, in fact, broken his rib, UFC president Dana White initially insisted that everyone “relax” on Twitter.
The Irish fighter is also questioning if Aldo really wanted to face him in the first place. On the surface, it’s a tough stylistic matchup for the rising star from Dublin, Ireland who’s knocked out four of five UFC opponents.
McGregor, whose 17-2 record includes a 13-fight win streak, continued his pre-fight trash talk, dismissing the 5-foot-6 Mendes as too short for the featherweight class and saying he won’t have the stamina to make a competitive fight.
McGregor had clawed his way to being the odds on favorite at the sport books against Aldo, and he remains a slight favorite here against Mendes. “I felt even through the World Tour and all the build-up he was looking for his way out, and thankfully for him, his coach and his team, they have found their way out”.
During the often-contentious conference call, Mendes said McGregor would have problems if the fight went to the canvas. He doesn’t think Aldo will ever come back. Can McGregor stop Mendes’ wrestling takedowns?
“It’s been nuts. Right when that news broke, I started to get phone calls from everyone, texts from everyone”.
McGregor, who is as outspoken as Mayweather, bared his thoughts when asked about facing the American boxer. And on the UFC’s decision to create an interim title for the victor of McGregor vs. Chad Mendes.
McGregor: “It would’ve been nice if Jose didn’t p***y out, but this good”.
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“If you’re asking me if I’d like to fight Floyd, who wouldn’t want to dance around the ring for $180 million?”
