Chad Mendes needs to take step back and reassess his trash-talk tactics.
It seems the top featherweight is still a bit bitter about having his head knocked clean off by Conor McGregor during their interim title fight at UFC 189.
Initially, Mendes was quite sporting towards the Irishman, conceding that McGregor was the better fighter on the night. Then the excuses started flowing, mainly regarding the fact that he took the fight on such short notice.
Although it appeared as though the vicious pummelling McGregor gave Mendes’ body in the first round sapped his energy, Mendes reckons his fatigue was due to his cardio not being up to scratch because he din’t have a full camp.
“The only people that are questioning my conditioning are Conor McGregor nut-hangers, and that’s just because he said that. And dude, look at my fight with Aldo. I fought Aldo, who’s one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. I went five rounds with him and pushed the pace the entire time.”
Mendes then did himself no favours by making the claim that gatekeeper Nik Lentz, a fighter who he defeated by decision, would not only beat McGregor, he would “destroy” him.
“When I’m prepared, my cardio is never an issue. It never has been. There’s been one other fight with [Nik] Lentz, where I was sick and fought through it, and still beat that guy, who in my opinion would destroy Conor. So you’re always gonna get those people who are talking shit. And I don’t think my cardio is an issue. It never has been. I took that fight on short-notice, and that’s why it was an issue in that fight.”
While Lentz is a talented fighter, he has never “destroyed” anyone of note in the featherweight division. The idea that he is the man to hand the interim champion his first loss in the UFC is a bit preposterous.
Unsurprisingly, Mendes fancies himself in a rematch against the Notorious.
“I train a proper fight, I kill Conor. And I don’t think my conditioning is gonna be a problem in this fight (against Edgar).”
Mendes takes on former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the main event of the TUF 22 Finale on December 11.
