LAS VEGAS — It might not have been World Tour-level shenanigans, but the UFC 189 press conference did not disappoint with regards to trash talk.
On the same dais for the first time, Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes exchanged verbal barbs Thursday at the KA Theatre in the MGM Grand. The two men will meet for the interim featherweight title Saturday here in the UFC189 main event and did a nice job hyping a fight that was only booked two weeks ago.
Mendes, whose only career losses have come against champion Jose Aldo (the man he’s replacing) attacked McGregor’s lack of experience against wrestlers and unproven grappling.
“He’s a one-dimensional fighter,” Mendes said. “He’s a stand-up fighter. Bottom line. He doesn’t have anything else. I’m more well-rounded. I have power. I can put people to sleep on their feet, I can take you down and beat a hole in your face and I can submit you. What else can he do?”
Of course, McGregor (17-2) wasn’t going to let that one go without a response.
“He’ll do absolutely none of those things,” McGregor said. “Not one little bit of a thing. He’s a rookie. He’s a novice in my eyes. He’s a white belt on the mat. In the grappling exchanges, he will know as well and then panic will set in and then he will cower like a little girl and begin his little run. But I will catch him.”
McGregor, who prides himself on his technical striking ability, repeatedly brought up what he perceives as a lack of technique from Mendes.
“He throws an overhand right, looks at the floor, closes his eyes and hopes for the best,” the Irishaman said. “This is Day One, beginner stuff where I come from.”
Mendes (17-2) just laughed off McGregor’s remarks, conceding that McGregor was better at the hype game than he is.
“He’s a black belt in trash talking,” Mendes said. “It comes natural to the dude. This has been a fun ride going through all this with this dude. This is a fight that in my opinion, you throw all this hype, this trash talk away, this is an easy fight for me.”
McGregor and Aldo went back and forth on a five-country, eight-city tour back in March and April. It was the most built-up fight in UFC history — and the one that the UFC spent the most to market. Aldo fell out of the bout with a broken rib two weeks ago, much to the promotion’s chagrin.
So, McGregor and Mendes have a lot of catching up to do. They will faceoff for the first time Friday after weigh-ins, which are being setup to be the largest in the history of the UFC. It remains to be seen if McGregor-Mendes will be as big of a draw as Aldo-McGregor would have been, but UFC senior vice president Dave Sholler said the gate is near $7.1 million and the UFC is primed to set pay-per-view records.
Perhaps if McGregor and Mendes had more time — and more opportunities like Thursday — it could have been just as big as the original title fight.
“He looks scrawny,” Mendes said of McGregor. “He’s cutting too much weight. He’s skinny. I’m gonna destroy this dude.”
McGregor, of course, disagreed. And he found particular amusement in Mendes and Aldo’s recent friendly Twitter exchange.
“That was a p*ssy move,” McGregor said. “Little coward. Trying to be friendly. Trying to be little friends with him. ‘Oh please, can I have your fans?’ A bitch move. When a man is close to death, that’s what he looks to do, buddy up.”