UFC 197, which is slated for March 5, 2016 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will play host to arguably one of the biggest fights in not only promotional history, but sport history as well. Reigning featherweight champion and Irish superstar the “Notorious” Conor McGregor will be moving up to challenge
UFC 197, which is slated for March 5, 2016 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will play host to arguably one of the biggest fights in not only promotional history, but sport history as well.
Reigning featherweight champion and Irish superstar the “Notorious” Conor McGregor will be moving up to challenge lightweight boss Rafael dos Anjos for the 155-pound title.
Although McGregor’s title won’t be on the line, this is a bout between champions, and a sure super fight to say the least. According to the “Notorious” one, however, the fight isn’t being promoted that way, and the Irishman isn’t too happy about it.
Recently speaking at the UFC 197 press conference which was held in Las Vegas earlier this week, McGregor wondered why he wasn’t holding his belt in the event’s promotional posters, even going as far as to call the work “garbage”:
“This is a super fight. I look upon that poster, I see myself tucked in the back there. That’s what I just noticed, where is my damn belt? Where are all these historic images? These are posters that will be looked back on long after it’s all said and done and you’ve got to look back on that absolute garbage. So you know, I think I might have to go into that department because they must be getting comfortable in that poster department. They wanna get their act together and start doing their damn job. [Dos Anjos] fought on free TV. He’s never brought a dime to the company, he’s never made a dime yet there he is sitting on the front of my poster.”
When asked what the reasoning behind this was, UFC President Dana White simply stated that it was because McGregor wasn’t defending his title.
This isn’t the first time two champions have gone head to head in the Octagon, as former lightweight champion BJ Penn took on former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre back at UFC 94 for St-Pierre’s then held 170-pound strap.
Oddly enough, Penn’s 155-pound title was in the event’s posters, with “The Prodigy” carrying it around leading it up the bout as well. It was made clear that UFC 94’s main event was a bout between two champions making this current scenario quite odd, especially given McGregor’s star power.
Training partner of Rafael dos Anjos and current UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is not impressed by Conor McGregor’s recent antics… UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was in typical form at the UFC 197 press conference. Hijacking the even from start to finish, ‘The Notorious’ put his upcoming opponent Rafael dos Anjos on blast as
Training partner of Rafael dos Anjos and current UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is not impressed by Conor McGregor’s recent antics…
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was in typical form at the UFC 197 press conference. Hijacking the even from start to finish, ‘The Notorious’ put his upcoming opponent Rafael dos Anjos on blast as a traitor, and vowed to behead the lightweight champion and drag his body through the streets of Brazil. ‘RDA’ didn’t really react to the taunts, but then he didn’t have much of an opportunity to either.
As was the case with Jose Aldo before him, Rafael dos Anjos doesn’t really tend to engage in the theatrics much. Of course this just means McGregor has more of a chance to get as much trash talking done as possible, but it also scores the brash Irishman his fair share of enemies.
UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is not happy with the way McGregor spoke about his Kings MMA team mate at the UFC 197 presser, and has a strong opinion on the scene that went down between the two this week. Check out the quotes from MMAFighting.com:
“When have a fight with my friend, you have a fight with me, too,” Werdum said. “We’re a family. If you say something bad, you pay for this for sure.”
“When [reporters] had a question for Rafael and he talked over him, this is no good,” Werudm said. “If it was my opponent, I would do this [Werdum makes a gesture like throwing water in his face, then makes a slapping sound], I’d say ‘be quiet.’ But that’s not Rafael’s personality. He’s a smart guy, okay, he controls himself, he just thinks about the fight.”
“It’s very important to respect,” Werdum said. “You have your space, I have my space. We have a fight, why do you touch me before. I thought Conor McGregor wasn’t showing respect. It’s not good. If he does it to me, he has a big problem. It think it’s very important he respects my space and I respect his space.”
It seems there’s quite a division between the Brazilian style of promotion and pretty much the rest of the western scene. The pride and respect of traditional martial arts seems to be how dos Anjos’ image is translated, and obviously in contrast you have the WWE style antics of a Chael Sonnen or Conor McGregor type character on the other side of the coin.
The question is, which is more beneficial for the sport?
Jose Aldo said he hasn’t seen his cut of the UFC PPV sales, but that wouldn’t make up for his devastating loss to Conor McGregor anyway… Fighter pay has understandably been one of the hottest topics of discussion in MMA throughout 2015 and heading into 2016. The debate was in no small part amplified by
Jose Aldo said he hasn’t seen his cut of the UFC PPV sales, but that wouldn’t make up for his devastating loss to Conor McGregor anyway…
Fighter pay has understandably been one of the hottest topics of discussion in MMA throughout 2015 and heading into 2016.
The debate was in no small part amplified by the UFC’s heavily criticized uniform sponsorship deal with Reebok, and many well known fighters have let their not-so-positive feelings about it be known. The most high-profile of those names has undoubtedly been former featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who’s criticized everything from the supposedly low pay for his training partners to the Reebok fight kits, to which he hilariously compared to those of children’s TV show ‘Power Rangers’.
Yet even though he was knocked out by archrival Conor McGregor in 13 seconds at December 12’s UFC 194, Aldo was expected to be headed for a huge payday apart from his $400,000 base salary thanks to his perceived pay-per-view (PPV) cut from the massively awaited event, which is expected to have drawn well north of 1 million buys.
But Aldo curiously hasn’t seen a dime of that money.
Speaking at the opening of his new hamburger restaurant in Brazil (via MMA Fighting), Aldo said that the thought of that money doesn’t make him feel better about the loss, partly because he hasn’t seen it anyway.
And as usual, he didn’t seem too happy with his employers. Jump to the next page to find out what the seemingly disgruntled champ had to say about his UFC 194 backend profits….
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is coming off the biggest loss of his career, and now he wants his revenge. By now, everyone knows that Conor McGregor beat Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 in the main event to become the undisputed UFC featherweight champion. Aldo was devastated by this loss as it
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is coming off the biggest loss of his career, and now he wants his revenge. By now, everyone knows that Conor McGregor beat Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 in the main event to become the undisputed UFC featherweight champion. Aldo was devastated by this loss as it was his first loss in ten years.
Aldo told Combate in Brazil that the loss hurt him as a man because it was to McGregor. Aldo explained that he could have lost to Frankie Edgar or Chad Mendes in the past and would be okay with it since he knew he would lose one day, but on December 12 (UFC 194’s date), he felt that he could not lose.
“That was the thing that hurt me most, for sure. Everyone who knows me, my family, my friends at the gym, they knew that I always said I would lose one day, and I would accept my defeat, but not to that guy, because of the proportion things took. It hurt more because of that. I could have lost to Frankie Edgar or Chad Mendes, who I fought really hard against, or any other athlete, really. I was disappointed in myself; I couldn’t lose that day.
Aldo did make it clear that he has one thing in mind, and that is to fight for the featherweight title against McGregor. When he does, he promises to go over on McGregor.
I have one thing in my mind. He’ll be here a while, and I work for the UFC, we have a contract. The world will keep turning and sooner or later he will be in front of me again and then I’ll run over him.”
McGregor fights Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 197 for the lightweight title. It will be interesting to see what the UFC does after that event with McGregor and Aldo.
Outspoken UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor does it again, this time it’s Rafael dos Anjos he leaves speechless with some very heavy insults… UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is not known for mincing his words. His outspoken swagger outside the octagon has made his every move a media frenzy, and his performances inside the arena
Outspoken UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor does it again, this time it’s Rafael dos Anjos he leaves speechless with some very heavy insults…
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor is not known for mincing his words. His outspoken swagger outside the octagon has made his every move a media frenzy, and his performances inside the arena of combat speak for themselves. Whether you love or hate him, you have to admit ‘The Notorious’ keeps the spotlight firmly fixed on the world of mixed martial arts.
But is it for the better? In terms of pay-per-view buys for the UFC events he headlines, most certainly yes. There is a clear division between McGregor and his last opponent Jose Aldo, and it’s one that’s present with is upcoming foe Rafael dos Anjos, and that’s the element of showmanship. Aldo has never been known for the theatrics, and neither has the current lightweight champion ‘RDA,’ who faces McGregor on March 5 at UFC 197.
As we remember from the infamous Go Big presser, McGregor will take any opportunity to jack an entire media event and make it his own. The same was true of the UFC 197 press conference that went down yesterday, and once again ‘The Notorious’ one was on prime form. This time he actually paid respect to ‘Scarface,’ while simultaneously destroying dos Anjos’ reputation with the help of only a microphone.
But has the Irish sensation gone too far this time?
Skip to page 2 for the video of McGregor hijacking the presser and the intense staredown…
![Rafael-dos-Anjos-vs-Conor-McGregor[1]](http://www.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Rafael-dos-Anjos-vs-Conor-McGregor1.jpg)
Skip to page 2 for the video of McGregor hijacking the presser and the intense staredown…