Surging UFC featherweight contender Conor McGregor decided to fight again instead of waiting for a title shot, but 145-pound champ Jose Aldo is still in his crosshairs.
“The Notorious” did a Q&A session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil prior to the UFC 179 weigh-ins, and while the crowd did not give the Irish striker a warm welcome, he still spoke his mind (h/t FOX Sports).
I am the No. 1 contender. The next time Jose steps into the Octagon after Saturday night it will be to face me. In the meantime, I took a fight with Dennis Siver to eliminate another contender. It’s as simple as that,” McGregor explained … (Aldo) has not submitted or knocked out anybody in the past five years. How’s he going to touch me? I will be too quick for him. I will be too powerful. I will put him away.
In the midst of heckling and taunting in Portuguese, McGregor managed to fire off the phrase “Jose Aldo — u vai morrer,” which translates to “you’re going to die”.
“Scarface,” the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC’s official rankings, looks to make his seventh consecutive title defense in front of his UFC 179 home crowd tonight.
The Brazilian striker once again encounters American rival Chad “Money” Mendes, whom he defeated by knockout at UFC 142 in January 2012.
The loss is the only one in Mendes‘ 17-fight career, rebounding since then with five straight victories (four knockouts).
Meanwhile, McGregor has won 12 fights in a row, four of which were contested inside the Octagon (three knockouts).
Shortly after his decisive finish of perennial contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 178 in September, UFC President Dana White said McGregor could get the next championship bout at featherweight, per MMA Fighting.
However, the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship dual titleholder instead opted for a matchup with musclebound Russian-German striker Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 59 in January.
Will Aldo once again roll through Mendes and punch his ticket for a grudge match with McGregor or will either Mendes and/or Siver manage to successfully play the role of spoiler?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com