Is Conor McGregor The One?
Irish featherweight sensation Conor McGregor will get a crack at title glory on July 11th, as he takes on the Brazilian 145-pound boss Jose Aldo at UFC 189. Much like the last PPV (pay-per-view) event, UFC 188, the challenger is the underdog in the opinion of many people. That didn’t stop Fabricio Werdum from overcoming the odds against Cain Vealsquez, and the same questions were being asked of the Brazilian grappler before his bout with the previously dominant Mexican boss.
Unlike Werdum though, McGregor is being hyped as the next big thing in MMA (mixed martial arts), with his silky smooth style and trash talking antics, ‘The Notorious’ has become a poster heel of the promotion in just two years. It was questionable when McGregor was announced as the next contender to the title, but if he is able to pull a win out of the bag, then maybe overlooking Frankie Edgar twice for the title shot was worth it. At least in the eyes of the UFC, there is a lot to be made from the extremely marketable and charismatic SBG (Straight Blast Gym) product.
But is Conor McGregor the one to take out Jose Aldo? Tailor-made is a description that has been thrown about when talking of McGregor’s line of opponents so far, although perhaps unfairly so. Max Holloway has proven himself to be a legit force at 145 pounds since his loss to ‘C-McG’, but the same cannot be said for Dennis Siver. McGregor got the fight with Aldo off the back of a TKO win over the German kickboxer, and the promotion has come under some criticism for hand-picking opponents that will choose to stand and strike with the Irish boxer.
Dustin Poirier is the best opponent that McGregor beat during his five-fight promotional spree, and he was clearly in the wrong division, having since gone on to more fruitful exploits at lightweight. So not having to fight any of the true to contenders in the division may leave some hurt feelings, but the fact remains that everyone wants to see Aldo vs. McGregor. The Irish fans want to see their man crowned champion, and Aldo’s followers want to see payback for the months of relentless trolling and media antics by ‘The Notorious’.
We’ve seen much, much worse fighters get shots at the title before, and there is legitimate belief that Jose Aldo may be starting to crack. The drug test fiasco, the injured rib, the heated confrontations, and in just two weeks that will all come to the boil. The question is who will be left standing after the UFC 189 main event?
If McGregor isn’t the man for the job, there is a serious chance that Aldo defends the belt a few more times and retires. ‘Scarface’ has taken out all of the top contenders in the UFC featherweight division during his reign, and perhaps now would be the time to go out on top with a couple more wins. Back to the question; out of all the top flight of the 145-pound division, McGregor may have the size advantage and adverse arsenal to dethrone the long-standing champion, will he? Time will tell, but he’ll have a lot of words to eat if he is unsuccessful in Las Vegas on July 11th.
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