Gracie’s dominance in the early UFC changed thinking about the most effective form of fighting.
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When Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo embarked on their promotional world tour back in March and the hype machine went into overload, with four months still to go it seemed that UFC 189 would never arrive.
McGregor was originally scheduled to take on Jose Aldo this weekend in what was billed as the most anticipated fight of the year before the Brazilian pulled out with a rib injury and Mendes stepped in as his replacement. His dad is still in remission, two years on, and experiencing no pain.
The June 30 unveiling of the uniforms all UFC fighters are required to wear occurred in New York, and the two overriding thoughts were they are extremely ugly and extraordinarily expensive.
It’s no secret that Conor McGregor is one of the larger guys in the featherweight division.
In today’s episode, interim UFC featherweight title contender Chad Mendes gives the cameras some insight into his favorite hobby of hunting, which he uses to fuel his body as a world-class athlete.
While a Mendes win wouldn’t be disastrous for the UFC, it wouldn’t be almost as profitable for the company as a McGregor win would be.
Forget Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather-McGregor would be the fight of the century. “You know, at that point it’s just fine-tuning that weight down”, said Mendes, whom the UFC secured as a backup when Aldo was injured June 23, said on a conference call last week. If McGregor emerges as the first Irish champion on Saturday, the timing would be right for a unification bout with Aldo in Ireland. “I was like ‘Conor, what do you weigh?’, he said ‘I’m around 172 lbs.’ He’s got to be 145 pounds in eight days”.
If Mendes were to come out on top, a number-one contenders bout between Edgar and McGregor could very well be on the cards. Perhaps the most impressive statistic is McGregor’s volume. With crisp combinations, legit power and effective inside-out movement, Mendes has transformed into a bona fide standup artist, especially with the threat of an explosive double-leg always looming.
Lawler on the other hand has seen the greatest career turnaround in MMA history. At the end of the day, the fight game is a mental game and if judges could score that, McGregor would have a huge advantage leading up to fight night.
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The Irishman would have been an intriguing challenger for Aldo and this match-up with Mendes is going to answer the few remaining questions most observers have about the charismatic challenger. The truth is, both men deserve the opportunity.
