Feck that was class,Conor made Ireland proud tonight or rather today.He's a wild animal with charisma to go with it,well done Mc Gregor.Bring on that sicknote Aldo next!
The MMA thread
- Thread starter Fortitude
- Start date
Who has better takedowns in that devision than Mendes?
For me it's all fairly black and white. McGregor did more damage while flat on his back to one of the best wrestlers or ground fighters around. He then got up and finished his opponent by using his strongest tool. There's fair and even enough arguments to be made on behalf of both fighters when it comes to the preparation side of things. One thing is for sure though, McGregor will have a lot less doubters now.
Maybe rousey? Lol.
That was an animal fight, Lawlor's lip after. Mac D could have had it, he really went for it in the fourth. Unlucky
Oh yes, Dana will see to it he fights them all, at least twice.I'd imagine Conor will have to face Edgar soon.
Post fight show on Fox Sports 2 if anyone has access to that.
Very shocked at how jaded McGregor looked before the fight.
He looked exhausted
He looked exhausted
You must've missed Aldo KO'ing Mendes in 1 round.
What the feck happened? Mendes was all over him like a pig on shit then those two punches had him gone... I swear I've seen him take much harder shots and carry on. McGregor won so congrats to him but I see much more weakness in him now than ever before and I think that will be exploited if he fought someone as fit as Edgar... Will be interesting to say the least.
Edit: still, he is now unquestionably the real deal there's no denying that.
Edit: still, he is now unquestionably the real deal there's no denying that.
fair point but the preparation argument goes both ways. As much of a physical challenge Mendes had, Conor as well had only two week to prepare and train for a wrestler whom might be the best grappler in the division after concentrating months on a training camp dedicated to a striker.
the more recent fight matters more though
Incredible event, best one I've seen.
McGregor has one hell of a chin, and hits like a truck. He also landed a spinning back kick and a fw other hard body shots that couldn't have helped Mendes' cardio. Is McGregor's wrestling now suspect? Yes very much so but he hits so hard that anyone who faces him has to hope they can hold him down for 25 minutes straight, not likely. For me he answered some of the questions put to him, faced a new opponent within 2 weeks, did a feck ton of media and flew all over the USA, still made weight, still KO'd one of the best featherweights. He deserves everything he has earned. There are no doubts he's elite.
McGregor has one hell of a chin, and hits like a truck. He also landed a spinning back kick and a fw other hard body shots that couldn't have helped Mendes' cardio. Is McGregor's wrestling now suspect? Yes very much so but he hits so hard that anyone who faces him has to hope they can hold him down for 25 minutes straight, not likely. For me he answered some of the questions put to him, faced a new opponent within 2 weeks, did a feck ton of media and flew all over the USA, still made weight, still KO'd one of the best featherweights. He deserves everything he has earned. There are no doubts he's elite.
Chad Mendes is the best wrestler in the featherweight division, NCAA division one, he's beat the best. Get over it.
Pretty much the strategy we all thought would happen. Conor would try to standup box and Chad would take it to the ground and attempt to wear him out. As Rogan pointed out, Chad was standing directly in front of Conor for whatever reason and got clocked a few times, which caught up to him later imo.
There is a difference between being able to fight, and being in peak form. Mendes did not have a full, proper training camp. Mendes took this fight on short notice for two reasons. One, he believed he could win. Two, the financial prospects of this fight were too good to turn down regardless of how much time he had.
I hate to say it, but it's laughable to compare your friends who train to these guys. There is a difference between being in good shape as an amateur, and being in good shape as a profession that has to abuse their body to a degree your friends will likely never experience. Professionals at this level CANNOT be on 100% of the time. The abuse and punishment they take mandates that they are cyclical in their approach. They wind up for a fight, hit peak performance, and then wind down and stay in maintenance mode, working on technique and what not.
Look at light heavy weights. Many of them blow up to 240+ pounds between fights.
Mendes has only fought 2x in the last 18 months, a full camp would have definitely seen him in better condition for a fight like that and I'm sure he would/could have made better use of his advantage on the ground. Doubt it would have stopped McGregor from punching so hard but it definitely would have been a different fight, don't think that's disputable. McGregor was definitely good for his win though.
I couldn't tell you, I don't follow the UFC like I used to. Like I said, it's the first McGregor fight I've seen. I don't think it would take someone better than Mendes at takedowns to beat him. Just someone disciplined enough to defend against his strikes and take the fight to the ground.
Mendes looked very ordinary as well eating the kicks and the punches as well. No movement, he let Connor cut down the octagon again I think this was down to condition and the impact of Connors striking ability. Even though Mendes fought his style of fight on the ground he always looked like the punches and kicks were hurting him and it was clear to me that Mendes needed a submission because then ko was coming if he got in this feet
Mendes is used to being the aggressor and pressuring and working his way inside. Conor's reach and power made him hesitant to do so, plus the fact that Conor was eating his punches and not budging an inch.
Im officially on the Conor bandwagon now although im a big fan of Aldo too. I have decided that Conor is the most exciting under 155 fighter i have seen since Kid Yamamoto and WEC version of Aldo. This kid is the real deal. Aldo vs Conor would be crazy. This fight is going to break records.
He had an 8 inch reach advantage, the only way to get around that was to take him down which Mendes did 4 times. Conor managed to nail him a few times before and during (when Chad thought he was getting illegal blows to the head), which I think gassed him for when they eventually stood up. Conor's cardio was clearly better.
He just can't win over his critics
The only two people in the division left is Aldo and Edgar
I really fancy the Aldo fight
Edgar, not so much. I consider Edgar his biggest threat.
Either way he is 6-0 in the UFC and beaten top quality guys like mendes, poirier and holloway
If you don't agree he is the best you must agree he is deservedly a top ranked contender... Right?
The only two people in the division left is Aldo and Edgar
I really fancy the Aldo fight
Edgar, not so much. I consider Edgar his biggest threat.
Either way he is 6-0 in the UFC and beaten top quality guys like mendes, poirier and holloway
If you don't agree he is the best you must agree he is deservedly a top ranked contender... Right?
@gooDevil I can't find your takedown question to reply to it. But IMO although Mendes is definitely the best wrestler in the division, Edgar sets up his take downs much better.
He's proved he's the best in the division outside Aldo, so I'm sure Dana and Lorenzo will set that up next.
As it stands if you compare Aldo vs Mendes 2 and Conor vs Mendes. You have to say McGregor is arguably the best guy in the division now. McGregor also took some heavy shots from Mendes and was standing there like it they were just normal.
I guess he will fight Aldo next. How do you see them matching up in that fight?
For a lot of people this fight resolves nothing. Not so much because Connor won, but because the manner in which he won.
If Connor had come out, and Chad had been unable to take him down, or Chad had been unable to hold him down, or advance positions and Connor was popping straight back up to his feet then things would be different. That isn't what happened. Chad took him down at will. Advanced positions on him at will. Frankly Chad made Connor look completely out of his depth on the ground.
Then they got up at the end of the second and Chad had nothing in the tank. That is a direct result of taking the fight on two weeks notice, or at the very least the fact he took the fight on two weeks clouds the picture enough to take the shine off of this win for Connor.
I might be giving the wrong impression, I am not a Connor hater. I'm a guy who wants to see how a guy does in ALL aspects before I say "ya he is that good". What I saw in this fight, is Connor doing nothing to put away the questions I and many others have about him. He has that feather in his cap now of beating Chad Mendes, but it was Chad Mendes on two weeks notice. It was Chad Mendes who gassed halfway through the second round. Connor didn't do that to him.
Does Connor beat Chad with a full camp? I doubt it. It could happen, but going by what I just saw I really don't think so. I think Connor probably has a better chance against Aldo than he does against Chad in a rematch OR Frankie Edgar. That said, Aldo has legit take down defense and his striking is so brutal I think there is a very good chance Aldo will knock Connor out. Connor got touched up by Chad Mendes, a guy with t-rex arms.
I think McGregor's reach and striking will definitely get to Aldo. It will be quite a war.
Lawler and MacDonald both in the hospital won't be at the press conference.
Another KO for sure. He just hits harder than the other guys on the division.
Every single punch he landed made Chad cry a little. was crazy.
Their second fight... 25 minutes? Or did you miss that?
He's also quite accurate. Reminds me a bit of Chuck Liddell with his efficiency of connection.
So they fought twice with completely different outcomes - Aldo winning both of them. Shows Aldo can knock Mendes out as well as be conditioned enough to beat him if taken the distance. Not sure what the point is here tbh.
I don't think anyone doubts he is a top 5, maybe top 3 guy. Based on this fight you have to put him above Chad, but I think Chad would win in a rematch with a full camp behind him. That's always been the issue with the doubters of Connor. That that he is good, obviously he is good. It's that he has been anointed as the GOAT before he beat anyone worthy of giving him that title.
Connor McGregor was, and still is primarily a marketing machine. The UFC is not doing well financially, their growth has dropped off, PPV numbers are dwindling and Connor is one of the few needle movers they have. I think this is largely an issue of their own making, putting the brand and Dana White ahead of marketing fighters. So the UFC has thrown the weight of their marketing machine behind him and are trying to capitalize on his appeal/controversy. It works.
That said, this was hardly a convincing fight for me. I still need to see more. The holes I thought he had, they are there. They exist and they are enormous. He is one of the most one dimensional elite fighters in the UFC right now. The question then is, is the one dimension he excels at good enough to compensate for the two he is weak in? I don't know. I don't think it will be.
We'll all be back here to chat about it when that fight goes down
He's at least brought some excitement and urgency back to the UFC. I've missed that.Post Fight conference starting shortly
I don't think he managed to pass McGregor's guard once, when he did the fight went back to it's feet.
I really hope all the winners on the main card get a bonus, and Rory for fight of the night and even Mendes for stepping up such short notice and giving a great fight until the finish.