Conor McGregor can talk a big game, but now it’s time for him to back it up as he battles Chad Mendes for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 189. The winner will eventually face currently injured champion Jose Aldo to unify the belts.
The main event is one of two title bouts on the card. The other features Robbie Lawler defending the UFC Welterweight Championship against Rory MacDonald. Lawler won the previous meeting between the pair by split decision in 2013.
Let’s check out all of the important information for Saturday’s showcase, along with odds and picks for each of the bouts on the main card. That’s followed by a preview of the hyped main event.
Viewing Details
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
When: Saturday, July 11 at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: Pay-per-view
Live Stream: UFC TV
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Odds and Predictions
Main Event Preview
McGregor is the type of fighter who can generate significant mainstream attention for the UFC. His fast-paced, hard-hitting approach combined with his willingness to entertain with his verbal jabs leading up to a bout gives him plenty of star power.
He hasn’t been seriously tested since arriving in the promotion, though. Facing Mendes will show whether he’s truly ready to compete at the sport’s highest level.
One thing is for sure: The Irishman isn’t backing down despite the raised stakes. In fact, he’s doubling down on himself. Ryan McKinnell of Yahoo Sports passed along a story from UFC president Dana White about a recent conversation he had with McGregor.
“You want to know how confident this kid is?” White said. “I can’t even believe I’m going to say this, but, he told Lorenzo [Fertitta] and I the other day, ‘I’ll bet you $3 million dollars I knock [Chad Mendes] out in the second round.'”
Now it’s his job to show he can back up his big talk against a serious opponent.
Both fighters will enter the bout with different game plans. McGregor wants to push the pace, use his striking ability to wear down Mendes and score the knockout. The American must attempt to slow things down, execute some takedowns and try to win a wrestling brawl.
Numbers from Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics the differences but also the narrow gap between the fighters:
The only sure thing is McGregor won the pre-bout war of words. Ariel Helwani of Fox Sports showcased another example of that:
Of course, that means nothing once the fight gets underway.
The biggest question is whether the clash is going to live up to the hype. There are going to be a lot of eyes on this fight, mostly because of Notorious’ growing profile outside of the diehard MMA fans. He must now prove the attention is warranted.
All told, give the slight edge to McGregor thanks to his power, but either fighter coming out on top would qualify as a surprise.
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