(Video courtesy of YouTube.com/UFC)
Fresh off the most embarrassing UFC Q&A ever involving CM Punk earlier this month in Las Vegas, NV., at UFC 182, the UFC thought it would be a great idea to call upon its featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo, to answer some hard-hitting questions in Boston a day before UFC Fight Night 59 (which takes place tonight, if you haven’t heard already).
It was sort of like a fair exchange, seeing how tonight’s headliner, Conor McGregor, goofed around with the Brazilian fans at his Q&A during UFC 179 weekend in Brazil, teasing the country and calling out some “mamacitas.”
If you predicted this installment was going to be as cringeworthy as the last few, then you deserve the Medal of Honor. Then again, would you rather watch these types of train wrecks, or a respectful and intelligent session with the likes of Cain Velasquez (UFC 180) or T.J. Dillashaw (UFC 181)?
It’s a tough call, really.
(Video courtesy of YouTube.com/UFC)
Fresh off the most embarrassing UFC Q&A ever involving CM Punk earlier this month in Las Vegas, NV., at UFC 182, the UFC thought it would be a great idea to call upon its featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo, to answer some hard-hitting questions in Boston a day before UFC Fight Night 59 (which takes place tonight, if you haven’t heard already).
It was sort of like a fair exchange, seeing how tonight’s headliner, Conor McGregor, goofed around with the Brazilian fans at his Q&A during UFC 179 weekend in Brazil, teasing the country and calling out some “mamacitas.”
If you predicted this installment was going to be as cringeworthy as the last few, then you deserve the Medal of Honor. Then again, would you rather watch these types of train wrecks, or a respectful and intelligent session with the likes of Cain Velasquez (UFC 180) or T.J. Dillashaw (UFC 181)?
It’s a tough call, really.
But at the end of the day, the brass is already thinking ahead and promoting a contest between Aldo and McGregor for the UFC featherweight championship, considering the Irishman will crush the living hell out of that guy he’s fighting tonight.
Here are some low-points worth noting:
1:19 – Host Megan Olivi introduces Aldo to the Boston crowd, who gets booed like a classic pro wrestling heel with a smile on his face. The crowd is already chanting.
3:50 – Olivi asks “Are they serving beer here?” Gosh, she’s so naive in a really cute way.
5:20 – Co-host and translator Jorge Gurgel pleads with the audience to keep it down so he can hear the questions.
6:10 – Aldo sneaks in a gem, and says he has his mind on Dennis Siver after being asked a question of who would you rather, Anthony Pettis or T.J. Dillashaw. Either that, or Gurgel got it wrong. We don’t speak Portuguese.
6:30 – A kid who looks like a retired child actor asks Aldo if he would take McGregor seriously after he’s wearing his belt. Look, it’s kind of witty and all, but these trolling sessions are becoming excruciating.
7:34 – A guy asks what Aldo’s thoughts are on Jon Jones and the cocaine scandal, and if he’s “ever been in love with the coco himself.”
10:46 – A nine-year-old child asks what Aldo would think about fighting in Ireland once McGregor beats Siver. We’ll applaud this young hopeful for having the best question out of his peers. A future Helwani in the making.
11:43 – They take a small pause to let the fans chant. It’s getting exhaustive now, and it’s just over 10 minutes in.
12:08 – Some dude who looks like prime Kevin Smith comes up to the mic to laud McGregor, and impersonates his idol, without asking a question.
16:49 – Another young kid asks if Aldo has already started cleaning the belt for McGregor. The balls on this one.
17:45 – Olivi gets booed for saying they shouldn’t serve beer during these ordeals. A drunken buffoon immediately thanks her for “wearing those pants.” He then asks Gurgel for an Aldo vs. McGregor prediction fight, and despite initially refusing, the MMA veteran claims Aldo will beat him.
22:39 – Another wizard with a beer in hand asks roughly the same Pettis or Dillashaw question, thinking he just cracked the Da Vinci code.
24:46 – A guy asks Aldo if he will be rooting for the New England Patriots in their championship game. Sigh.
26:25 – No idea what this bonehead said.
27:17 – Lastly (for us, at least), a guy asks for Conor’s sister’s hand, and then starts chanting, “There’s Only One Conor’s Sister.” Olivi reminds this idiot McGregor has two sisters.
At least Aldo stayed strong and stood his ground with his answers, stating on multiple occasions that he’s going to beat McGregor, and had no problem playing the bad guy. After multiple questions from people reading them on their mobiles and asking for pictures, loud chanting, and a segment that went way too long, the hosts seemed completely exhausted by the end of it all.
Now, we all know the UFC will never garner the mainstream attention it truly desires, but this doesn’t help. It’s hard enough to convince a friend that MMA is really special at times, considering we have to put up with this nonsense more often than not. It also proves that UFC fans (not all of them) really fit the stereotypes of lifeless and bloodthirsty ignoramuses.
Maybe (and this is just an idea) the company should consider cleaning up these types of shindigs. When someone neat and accomplished came through our high school for a Q&A, a teacher normally stood by the mic and asked a student to tell them their question first, before spewing saliva all over the place. It wouldn’t be bad for UFC to send someone down to control the questions, or better yet, control the beer sales.
Until then, these Q&A’s will just be a big drunken party where aspiring journalists will ruin their credibility in six seconds.
– Alex G.