UFC 189 is shaping up to become the most lucrative mixed martial arts event on U.S. soil, as it will become the first card to boast a $7 million gate. The general public’s interest regarding the main event that will feature Conor McGregor (17-2) and Chad Mendes (17-2) is due to the former’s out-of-Octagon antics and constant bad mouthing of his former UFC 189 opponent, featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
Aldo was recently forced to pull out of the main event, as a result of a rib fracture during training. However, before his withdrawal, the stage had already been set. McGregor promoted UFC 189 almost single-handedly by spewing expletives at the champion and stealing his belt at a Dublin press conference in his home country of Ireland.
Now that Aldo is injured, his replacement, Mendes, will reap the benefits of all the build-up leading to the fight. In addition, the two will now fight for the interim featherweight title, with hopes of facing Aldo later on this year.
However, despite Mendes’ respectable record, his profound background in collegiate wrestling and No. 1-ranked fighter status, most oddsmakers deem the 30-year-old the underdog heading into UFC 189. The latter is ironic, given Mendes' skill set. He is a two-time Division I All-American wrestler and has only lost to the champion. The California native also boasts power in his hands, sporting seven knockouts in his career and has beaten three fighters off the UFC’s Top-10 list—Ricardo Lamas (No. 4), Nik Lentz (No. 9) and Clay Guida (No. 10).
Conversely, despite McGregor’s 13-fight win streak, most of those victories occurred in other second-rate organizations. In addition, the Irishman is practically untested in the UFC. McGregor has only fought just one top-10 contender in Max Holloway at UFC Fight Night 26. He has never faced a fighter with an arsenal as complete as that of Mendes.
Nevertheless, McGregor is more than confident heading into UFC 189, and berated the No. 1 contender at a recent press conference. According to Martin Domin of the Daily Mail, the Irishman stated:
He's (Mendes) a rookie; he's a white belt on the mat. In the grappling exchanges he will learn and panic will set in and he will cower like a little girl and begin his run, but I will catch him… I built this event, this is the McGregor show. I'm going to eliminate my opponent, and I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.
However, during that same press conference, Mendes responded to his opponent’s vitriol.
Conor is a very one-dimensional fighter. He is a long, southpaw, stand-up fighter who doesn't have wrestling, he doesn't have j[i]u-jitsu. You wipe all that hype out, and I'm going to destroy him. He's a black belt in trash talking;… if you throw the trash talk away, it's an easy fight for me.
On paper, Mendes appears to be the more complete fighter. His undefeated record has only been marred by the champion, and the No. 1 contender has fought more higher-caliber fighters throughout his career. Yet, McGregor believes in his ability to become interim champion to the point that he recently bet the CEO and the president of the UFC, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White, $3 million that he’d knock out Mendes in the second round.
Irrespective of the odds regarding either opponent, the victor will more than likely fight the champion after he recovers from his rib injury. Aldo has not lost a fight in almost 10 years, and whether he faces off against Mendes or McGregor, the odds will surely be in his favor.
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