When the news first broke about Jose Aldo pulling out of his fifth title fight at Saturday’s UFC 189, Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White expressed frustration and disappointment on SportsCenter. But since adding Chad Mendes to the main bill with Conor McGregor, White told ESPN’s Ryen Russillo that UFC 189 is actually going to be better than it would have.
Now, of course, the president of any company is unlikely to bash his own product ahead of its release, but White mentioned specific numbers in his interview to point to the added success the new bill has brought.
“Jose Aldo falls out, ticket sales are at 6.8 million," White said. “Chad Mendes comes in, ticket sales go through the roof. … It’s at 7.1 (million sales). It’s the biggest gate ever in the United States, and not only did it not lose interest, it almost sort of gained more interest, as crazy as that sounds.”
Here’s a look at what’s being said leading up to Saturday’s main event.
On the day that White announced Aldo’s exit, McGregor retweeted Fox Sports UFC linking to a story about Arnold Schwarzenegger calling him “one of the greatest athletes probably of all times.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Conor McGregor is one of the greatest athletes of all time http://t.co/IYWKq1Z0eO #UFC189 http://pic.twitter.com/aCNNDkmqwV
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 30, 2015
Schwarzenegger told Irish men’s lifestyle website Joe.ie that McGregor’s mental and physical balance are what make him so indomitable.
“He has the right combination of the mind, and the body and the talent,” Schwarzenegger said. “The two are connected so well with him, which I think is so important in athletics that you believe, 100 percent, in your victory.”
McGregor also had this to say following the pulling out of Aldo:
They can run. But they can't hide.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 1, 2015
McGregor showed his confidence a week later with this colorful tweet:
5 days and I pull the trigger. https://t.co/orkck9PQ6I http://pic.twitter.com/XRuxkMNcUV
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 7, 2015
On the other side of the Octagon, Chad Mendes told UFC.com that he received a group text about Aldo’s injury and then a phone call an hour later asking him if he could make weight in a couple of weeks to be ready to step into Aldo’s place.
“I said, ‘Oh yeah. Let’s get in there and get after it,’” Mendes said.
On July 3, Mendes typified Instagram standards by posting a picture of his dinner, with a caption regarding making weight.
Wild red stag, brown rice and veggie stuffed bell peppers. Weight is right on point!! #killwhatueat #organic
A photo posted by Chadmendes (@chadmendes) on Instagram
In that same interview with UFC.com, Mendes talked about why he’ll have the upper hand on Saturday.
"This is a bad match up for him. I hit guys, they go to sleep" @ChadMendes #UFC189 http://t.co/1os7E76TE5 http://pic.twitter.com/84Bxj7rfpC
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2015
“I’ve watched a lot of stuff on Conor, I see his tendencies, I know what he loves to do,” Mendes said. “I see his weaknesses and I see his holes. This is a bad matchup for him, especially on two weeks notice. I hit guys, they go to sleep.”
And to show his own confidence, Mendes retweeted a UFC tweet about himself.
"I get to go in there last minute, beat the crap out of Conor McGregor & get a belt" @ChadMendes #UFC189 http://pic.twitter.com/nid9JTOkqM
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2015
Them’s fightin’ words.
Although much has been said of how bad a matchup Mendes is for McGregor, he’s still considered a slight favorite, according to Odds Shark.
Take a look at the numbers behind #UFC189: http://t.co/vPq8DObB9x http://pic.twitter.com/or1g6SRR2C
— UFC United Kingdom (@UFC_UK) July 9, 2015
The variance in fighting styles has put predictions all over the map, but Bleacher Report’s own Alex Balentine predicts that McGregor will emerge with the belt after a second-round TKO of Mendes.
Follow Aaron Brand on Twitter @AaronBrand47
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
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