Conor McGregor has become arguably the biggest star in mixed martial arts today, let alone the ultra-competitive UFC featherweight division.
So when an official UFC report surfaced yesterday confirming that current champion Jose Aldo‘s rib was not broken and that perennial contender Chad Mendes was the “contingency plan” for UFC 189, the MMA universe took a big sigh of relief.
In other words, the promotion that has incomparably bankrolled one of the most anticipated title fights of all time had cemented McGregor‘s fate for July 11.
He will fight, whether against Aldo or Mendes, and it will be for a UFC championship belt, whether the real one or an interim one.
Now while such a mix-up in opponents for a high-profile bout would have some top contenders holding out for definitive answers, McGregor has remained focused and unscathed, posting this via Twitter nearly one day before the UFC’s statement:
To further confirm that the Irish sensation is prepared to make divisional headway during the UFC’s biggest promotional weekend of the year, McGregor‘s head coach John Kavanagh recently posted a blog on Ireland’s sports website The 42:
At [Straight Blast Gym] we’ve become renowned for doing things a little differently in terms of some of the phrases we use, and one of those is ‘There is no opponent’. We never tailor our preparations based on opponents and this is sort of like the most extreme version of that you can think of.
For most people, switching between two different types of opponent like that would be an absolute nightmare. But it would be hypocritical of us to complain about that and allow it to have an impact, so we’re staying true to our regular philosophy when it comes to opponents. And I believe Conor will end up fighting both of these guys at some point anyway, so what difference does it make?
Needless to say, Kavanagh feels confident that his star pupil can adapt and overcome inside of the cage on July 11, despite his opponent. He went on to mention McGregor‘s reaction to the potential change in adversary:
It was UFC president Dana White who called me and asked how we felt about Chad Mendes stepping in to fight Conor for the belt. Conor was sleeping at the time so I walked into his room and told him it could be Mendes instead. He opened one eye, said ‘They’re all the same’ and then went back to sleep. That’s as far as any negotiation went.
If Aldo was going to be out, the options were to postpone the fight until later in the year or bring in a different opponent. Both were discussed, but Conor is driven by competition. The UFC mentioned a September date but I knew realistically that if Aldo’s rib injury was bad, September wouldn’t be realistic. At best it would be October.
That would leave Conor on the sidelines for nine months. Some fighters are satisfied to sit out for a year when they’ve got a title shot ahead, but that’s not something we wanted to do. I believe Conor is ready for whoever the UFC put in there and we have to be able to back that up by accepting all challengers.
Now whether The Notorious fights Aldo at 75 percent or Mendes on short notice, he needs to understand how dangerous of a spot he’s in.
With so much invested in becoming champion and transforming himself into the biggest star this sport has seen since Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre and Chuck Liddell, the 26-year-old must proceed with extreme caution.
In any case, McGregor‘s reaction to this entire situation truly represents the way he conducts himself inside of the Octagon.
With an unflappable self-confidence that feeds his unorthodox pallet of movement and precision, maybe it really doesn’t matter who he fights on July 11.
Maybe his skill set and budding athleticism are the perfect combination to defeat any featherweight who the UFC lines up in front of him.
We’ll find out one way or another at UFC 189.
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