Such is the case with Game of War – Fire Age, which followed up its Kate Upton campaign by enlisting the help of arguably the most popular male fighter in the UFC right now, “The Notorious” Conor McGregor.
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In what can only be called a very wise decision, the UFC responded to last week’s news of Aldo’s injury by announcing a backup plan that would allow McGregor to face second-ranked Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight crown if the reigning champ couldn’t fight at UFC 189. Should McGregor lose, the UFC loses a fighter they have pushed to the stratosphere.
McGregor was a small favorite to dethrone an injured Aldo, according to the betting odds, but moves to a slight underdog against Mendes.
On the other hand, Mendes (17-2) is coming off a first-round victory over Ricardo Lamas last April.
When asked by Conan about the adage of not having sex before a fight, McGregor laughed and said that is “definitely a superstition I abide by”.
“I live a healthy lifestyle all the time; I stay in pretty decent shape year-round, so for me, when I got the call, it was a no-brainer”, admitted Mendes, who was a standout wrestler at Cal Poly before making the transition to mixed martial arts. I don’t blame the man, I was going to f***ing butcher him.
That said, we want you to be able to look back fondly on McGregor vs. Aldo while we still had it – at least until the fight potentially surfaces again down the road. Then when I smoke Chad, [It’s going to be] “He’s only had two weeks.’ There will always be something to try and discredit me, but at the end of the day, cash beats credit every day of the week”. It’s hard not to believe that stems partly from his status as a late-notice replacement and partly from the hype surrounding McGregor.
Aldo had a lot to say in the statement, including the fact he disagrees with the UFC’s decision to put up an interim title at the event.
The Irishman went on to predict a four-minute knockout over Mendes.
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“Conor is a guy that has made a huge splash in the division. Rightfully so, the belt should be taken from him and we will contest for the interim belt or, in my opinion, the real belt”. Doing so only figures to benefit McGregor’s bottom line. Many people told me to fight anyway because of the money I could make, but I wouldn’t sell myself for any money, no matter how much.
