In 8 days, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will challenge lightweight king Eddie Alvarez in a bid to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously. McGregor will make this effort in the main event of UFC 205, which will emanate from New York City’s hallowed Madison Square Garden on November 12.
In advance of this historic showdown, McGregor and Alvarez recently joined the media for an entertaining, promotional conference call. Over the course of this call, the two talents got quite heated.
McGregor’s blood ran hottest when one reporter suggested he had difficulty with the wrestling of Chad Mendes in a mid-2015 fight – a fight he ultimately won with a second-round KO.
“That second-round KO? That butchering?” McGregor said of his fight with Mendes. “I changed that boy, I changed that boy, know that. He went into [his next fight] with Frankie [Edgar] beat. He was damaged goods.”
The Irish superstar then went on to suggest the Mendes was an all-around better fighter than Alvarez, insinuating he’d have an even easier time with his upcoming foe.
“He’s faster than you. He’s got better boxing than you, cleaner wrestling than you. He’s a better fighter than you! What are you talking about? You’re bigger and more stuffed.”
Finally, McGregor promised to change the course of Alvarez’s career with a win at UFC 205, assuring the former Bellator champ will never be the same post-fight.
“Have you seen [Mendes] since? Have you seen him since he fought me? Go have a look at Nate [Diaz], go speak to Nate, go look at his face. Look at Jose [Aldo]. How’s Jose doing? Anyone that fights me, it’s over for them. It’s going to be the exact same for you. You’re never, ever, ever going to be the same, ever again in your life. Your kids after this fight are going to beg you ‘Daddy, Daddy, please don’t go again.’”
While McGregor is famous for his trash talk, that trash talk does not typically ooze with this kind of intensity. Do you think it’s possible that Alvarez is in his head? Sound off in the comments, PENN Nation!