McGregor claims he and Ronda are biggest draws in UFC

Newly crowned interim UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor tabbed himself and UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey as the biggest draws in the company, saying they are "at the top of the game."

McGregor is fresh off a technical knockout victory over Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 189, a card that may well break the UFC's pay-per-view records and has already broken its live gate record.

All this happened even though McGregor's original opponent, featherweight champion Jose Aldo, withdrew from the card with two weeks to go due to a rib injury.

"Right now, I am running the game," McGregor declared at the post-fight press conference, as quoted by MMA Fighting. "I have every record in the book."

"The gate, the pay-per-view, all the viewing figures on FOX, UFC Fight Pass, highest attended weigh-ins… I have every record right now," he said.

"At the end of the day, I'm still only 26 years of age. I am still very, very young in this game."

For McGregor, the only fighter on his level is Rousey, the tremendously dominant women's bantamweight champion who has finished all 11 of her MMA fights.

"Myself and Ronda – Ronda is an absolute machine," said the opinionated Irish fighter. "She's an animal."

McGregor can especially relate to Rousey because the women's champion fulfills a huge amount of media responsibilities – the way McGregor did to promote his fight against Aldo, and then against Mendes.

"I look at her and I take great inspiration from Ronda, her work ethic," he said. "I feel it's me and Ronda at the top of the game, and I'm honored."

Rousey, who was recently tabbed by Sports Illustrated as "the most dominant athlete alive," is set to return to action on August 1 when she defends her belt against Bethe Correia at UFC 190.

 

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

McGregor survives Mendes, takes interim belt

Brash Irish fighter Conor McGregor survived a ferocious challenge by Chad Mendes to win via second round technical knockout and become the interim UFC featherweight champion Saturday in Las Vegas (Sunday in Manila).

Mendes, a late replacement for injured champion Jose Aldo, repeatedly took down McGregor in their main event showdown at UFC 189, and in the second round, dropped vicious elbows that bloodied the Irishman's eyes.

With under a minute to go in the second round, McGregor escaped a submission attempt, got back to his feet, and stuffed another takedown attempt.

With around 20 seconds to go, McGregor took over, landing a series of punches, including a huge left hand to the chin that finally sent the durable Mendes to the canvas.

"Precision with the left hand," McGregor said after the fight. "Nobody can take that left hand. Everyone breaks, and he broke."

Mendes proceeded to cover up, and the referee stopped the fight at the 4:57 mark of the second round to give McGregor a technical knockout victory.

With his win, McGregor is now the interim featherweight champion, and he had some harsh words for the Brazilian Aldo who withdrew from their fight with two weeks to go due to a fractured rib.

"In my opinion, Jose went running," said McGregor. "I had bigger injuries leading up to this fight than that bruised rib, and I still showed up here and performed."

"In my eyes, Jose's gone running. If he wants to come back, he can come back, but I swear to God, his day will come," he added.

Mendes took the fight on two weeks' notice and arguably won the opening round by taking down McGregor and landing flush shots to the Irishman's face. McGregor's longer reach and vicious kicks took its toll on Mendes in the second round, and he responded by again taking the fight to the canvas.

Mendes repeatedly landed elbows from the top position, but once McGregor was able to bring the fight back to the feet, Mendes was unable to fully defend himself from the Irishman's heavy hands.

Mendes, who lost for the third time in his career, was gracious in defeat and thanked McGregor for agreeing to fight him on two weeks' notice.

"He was training for Aldo the entire time, and that's c completely different match-up for him," Mendes said. "The guy's tough… I don't have any regrets."

McGregor improved to 18-2 in his career; Mendes drops to 17-3.

Lawler defends title

In the co-main event, Robbie Lawler successfully defended his UFC welterweight belt by stopping Rory MacDonald in the fifth round of a bloody encounter.

Lawler and MacDonald took turns roughing each other up in the first four rounds, and the result was still up in the air in the fifth.

The champion then took matters in his own hands. He landed a flush shot to MacDonald's bloody nose, and the challenger slowly fell to the mat, only for Lawler to follow up with more punches. The referee stepped it and stopped the fight at the 1:00 mark of the final round.

"That was the accumulation of a beatdown," Lawler said. "It wasn't one punch; it was years of fighting right there, coming to fruition. I'm the champ. I'm here to stay."

Lawler trailed 37-39 on all three of the judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage, according to UFC.com.

With the win, he improved to 26-10 in his MMA career, while MacDonald lost for the third time against 18 victories.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

McGregor clarifies: KO bet vs Mendes is $3.5M

Conor McGregor confirmed that he indeed offer UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and president Dana White a multi-million dollar side bet that he will knockout Chad Mendes in two rounds.

But he said it wasn’t $3 million as White earlier announced, but $3.5 million.

The outspoken Irishman will be facing Mendes this weekend for the UFC interim featherweight title in UFC 189 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I'm still hoping it goes ahead," McGregor said in MMA Fighting. "I feel it's a good bet. It could go either way, so I believe he should take it. It's to do with this pay-per-view stipulation, so it's not as black and white as it seems, but I hope he takes it."

McGregor was supposed to challenge Jose Aldo, but a rib injury forced the UFC featherweight champion to pull out despite heavy promotion done for the title bout.

Mendes stepped in as a replacement.

"We were discussing negotiations," McGregor said of his conversation with White. "And one of them negotiations was a little friendly wager. I sent him an e-mail breaking it all down.”

"I just heard that he spoke about it on the radio, so everyone else knows, because I didn't tell anybody. It was behind closed doors. I don't discuss business. He does, so I hope that means he is taking it."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

McGregor: Mendes is a 'B-level fighter'

Conor McGregor called his UFC 189 opponent, Chad Mendes, a ''B-level'' fighter who easily tires out.

The two are set to clash on July 11 for the interim UFC featherweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mendes stepped up to fight McGregor after UFC champion Jose Aldo pulled out because of a rib injury.

"I think Chad is a substitute," McGregor told MMA Fighting.

"A B-level [fighter]. I think he's a wrestler with an overhand who gasses [out].''

The Irish MMA fighter said the 5'6'' Mendes easily tires out because of his bulk.

''I think his body weight to his height, his body is in disproportion, and I think that hampers him as a fighter. I think that's why he gasses and he gets that tired,'' said McGregor.

McGregor said that part of his strategy is to put pressure on Mendes until his opponent caves in.

''I'm having these exchanges and these scrambles, his belly is going to be breathing in and his body is going to be screaming for oxygen and I'm going to still be there in his face, cracking him with everything that I have. Every shot; the heel, the knee, the elbow, the fist, every shot in the book I have. And that will be that. Eventually he will give, like they all do," he said.

McGregor's said this after hearing that Mendes plans out to stop him in three rounds.

"Yeah, Conor I'm going to give you a little more respect buddy," Mendes said. "I'm going to finish you within the first three."

Mendes is confident that he will be able to stun the Irishman with his superior speed.

''I think my striking is going to be great," he said. "Conor's never faced anybody like me before. I have the athleticism, the strength, the power, the speed, and I have wrestling to put him on his back to finish this fight. This fight is mine.''

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

WATCH: McGregor nabs title belt form Aldo

The build-up to the UFC 189 main event between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo has been fraught with fierce stare downs and near skirmishes, and it reached another level during the World Tour's last stop in Dublin, Ireland.

McGregor, cheered on by his raucous hometown fans, was in his element, although Aldo gave as good as he got, even telling the crowd: "I'm the king of Dublin."

McGregor responded by putting his feet up on the table, and, seconds later, reached over Aldo's side of the stage to snatch the UFC featherweight belt, which was placed in front of the Brazilian champion.

Aldo immediately got to his feet and tried to grab his belt back as McGregor held it aloft, though the two men were kept apart by UFC president Dana White.

"You're looking at the King!" McGregor crowed as the Dublin fans went wild.

Aldo, for his part, brushed off the incident.

"I didn't feel anything," said the Brazilian star in an interview with UFC Brasil. "That's the best he can do, because the next time he's in front of me, I will be the (expletive) out of his face."

Nabbing Aldo's belt was the latest of McGregor's stunts during the press tour. In Los Angeles, he taunted the champion, then grabbed the back of Aldo's neck during their stop in Toronto.

UFC 189 is set for July 11 in Las Vegas.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com