Mendes, McGregor trade barbs at UFC 189 press conference — VIDEO
There has been a great deal of attention on the fact that Chad Mendes had such a short training camp to prepare for Saturday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship interim featherweight title bout against Conor McGregor.
Mendes, who was unsuccessful in two previous title shots against Jose Aldo after full camps, prefers to see just the positives.
“Luckily I didn’t have to listen to all his (expletive) for an entire training camp,” Mendes said. “I just get to go in there fresh and whoop this dude up. I’m in a good spot.”
Even though this fight will be for the interim belt, the main event of UFC 189 at the MGM Grand Garden has received far more attention than either of Mendes’ two previous title fights.
That’s almost entirely because of the buzz around McGregor.
While Mendes is more the silent type, he said he’s comfortable under the bright lights.
“It’s always exciting to get in when there’s a lot of hype around a fight,” he said. “Sometimes it’s tough when there is none. It can be tough to stay motivated in the gym when you’re going through the same grind every single day. When you have someone feeding your fire, it makes for a more interesting training camp.”
That lasted less than three weeks after Mendes agreed to step in for an injured Aldo to fight McGregor for the interim belt. It was an easy decision despite the short amount of time for preparation.
Mendes never strays too far from the gym in Sacramento, Calif., even when he’s not ramping up his training for a fight.
During a typical eight-week camp, the 30-year-old two-time All-America wrestler thinks he peaks physically around the third or fourth week. After that, it’s all about maintaining that condition and avoiding injury. The abbreviated time in the gym allowed him to approach that optimum point without the general soreness and fatigue fighters can experience as camp drags on.
“Honestly, I feel damn good,” Mendes said. “This isn’t something that I’m just trying to hype the fight with. I feel really good, and I’m just excited to go in there and perform. You guys are in for a treat. Stay tuned.”
It doesn’t hurt his confidence that Mendes has been mentally preparing for this fight for almost two years.
From the moment McGregor made his UFC debut and declared war on the entire featherweight division, Mendes has kept an eye on his progress.
The game plan was in place long before Mendes first heard rumors that Aldo was injured and might have to pull out of the fight, making it easy to jump at the opportunity.
“I actually got a group text from some of my teammates that was just the headline that Aldo was hurt,” Mendes said. “I sent it over to my managers, and they got to work.”
A day later, Mendes was in Las Vegas signing a contract to serve as the contingency plan in case Aldo pulled out, which he eventually did.
Of course, McGregor had his own take on why Mendes had been playing such close attention.
“He has been sweating me since I arrived in the promotion, as has the rest of the division,” McGregor said. “As soon as I came on the scene, everybody started preparing to fight me because they knew the king has come.”
The biggest question around McGregor during his rapid ascension in the 145-pound division has been how he would fare when he eventually meets up with an elite wrestler. He said he’s not worried about the challenge.
“I think Chad is the substitute, the B-level,” McGregor said. “I think he’s a wrestler with an overhand that gasses. You know what I mean? He is a novice, in my eyes. He throws an overhand right, looks at the floor, closes his eyes and hopes for the best. This is Day One beginner stuff where I come from. He will find out the difference in skill level when we collide.”
It’s those types of comments that Mendes is glad he didn’t have to hear over and over in advance of the fight.
“He’s a black belt in trash talking,” Mendes said. “It comes natural to this dude. In my opinion, you throw out all the hype and the trash talk, it’s an easy fight for me. I’m going in focused. I know what I have to do. He can say whatever the hell he wants to say, I know what I have to do.”
McGregor’s words and antics don’t just sell fights. The bravado also has served a key function once the bell rings, as he has been able to frustrate opponents into aggressive game plans that keep fights in McGregor’s comfort zone.
Mendes insists that won’t happen to him.
“I’ve been a top-level athlete my entire life,” he said. “I’ve dealt with guys like this all along the way. It’s nothing new to me. Obviously it’s going to be nice to get to punch this dude, but I have a game plan, and I’m going to destroy him. He’s cutting a ton of weight, and he’s going to start fading in the later rounds. Wrestling makes you tired, and we’re going to test that.”
Mendes wouldn’t discuss specifics about his strategy, but hinted early in the week he planned to take McGregor to the mat early and often.
Should he be able to execute it, he will walk out of the cage with the belt.
If not, he’ll likely be subjected to a whole lot more of McGregor’s talking.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.
