Ah, remember the good ol’ days of two weeks ago when it was still McGregor v Aldo?
Well those days are no more and the McGregor bandwagon-jumpers are rushing to do some last-minute research on some guy named Chad Mendes to find ways to hate him.
With the news last night that the 17-2 Californian will step in to fight The Notorious for an interim title due to the rib injury suffered by featherweight champion Jose Aldo last week, we considered the fallout from the last minute switch-up and found that there are five parties who will lose out and just one fighter who wins with the updated card.
Five losers
Conor McGregor
As divisive a figure as the Dubliner is, it’s pretty hard not to feel sorry for Conor McGregor after the latest goings-on.
The Notorious has pumped a lot of money, time and effort into his training camp that was specifically aimed at dealing with the style of Jose Aldo.
And, with just 10 days notice, McGregor has to tailor his gameplan for an entirely different fighter and is in a bit of a lose/lose situation regardless of how the fight plays out.
If McGregor beats Chad Mendes for the interim belt, it would lead to much fewer plaudits than a victory over undisputed champ Aldo because the Brazilian has a much bigger name than Money and the task of Aldo was being touted as the most difficult test for the Irishman.
If McGregor loses then it will push him back almost a year in terms of momentum because a Mendes win will set up a unification bout with Aldo for October/November. Depending on how that plays out, the next defense likely won’t arrive until March/April 2016 and there’s no guarantee that McGregor would get that shot.
Jose Aldo
People are really banging on the “Aldo is running scared” drum this morning and it’s pretty damn unfair.
You don’t go 10 years undefeated against the very best that the 145lb division has to offer if you’re a coward and the Brazilian is anything put.
The only thing that Aldo is guilty of is going too hard in sparring over the years which has led to genuine injuries, just like the latest rib problem.
When you think of it, people are jumping on an athlete for the offence of getting hurt just because they’re so fond of the fight that was originally slated to headline UFC 189.
Aldo is missing out on a shedload of money because of this injury and his credibility is now wrongly being called into question for being forced to withdraw.
Frankie Edgar
Poor ol’ Frankie, eh?
The former UFC lightweight champion can feel rightly hard done by the fact that he wasn’t awarded the stand-in position if Aldo couldn’t compete.
Edgar has gone 4-0 since his decision defeat to Aldo in February 2013 and a rematch is a lot more compelling than seeing Aldo v Mendes for the third time in four years.
The Answer has been an absolute soldier for the UFC cause in recent years and has every right to be annoyed that the UFC called Mendes before him.
The promotion should have given Edgar the shot because by the time this belt is unified, the next chance for Edgar to even hope for a title fight will be sometime next year.
Edgar turns 35 in 2016 so his chance for featherweight glory could have already passed him by, just because the flip of a coin landed on Chad Mendes.
UFC
Looking at the @ mentions of Dana White and the UFC on Twitter makes for some worrying reading as those excited for McGregor v Aldo are blaming the promotion for letting them down.
In reality, the UFC couldn’t have done anything more than they’ve done.
They’re not in the business of telling fighters how hard or how gentle to go in sparring. They’re in the business of fight promotion which is something they did in unprecedented fashion for UFC 189.
If Aldo hadn’t gotten injured and the fight went ahead but the UFC had only given the fight half the push, the MMA world would be whinging that they hadn’t promoted enough so they’re in a very tricky position.
The amount of money they shelled out, and continue to shell out now that Chad Mendes has to get paid, is testament to the fact that they’ll do whatever it takes to make the fans happy.
While the PPV audience won’t fall too much considering the fact that McGregor was always going to be the main draw, it will be a bit of a drop-off because it’s not McGregor v Aldo.
The fans
The travelling fans are the people who get most of our sympathy and we can understand their anger, disappointment and feeling that Jose Aldo screwed them over.
The support for MMA in Ireland is unmatched by any other country and there was no surprise to see thousands snatch up tickets for UFC 189 to get the chance to see Ireland’s first UFC champion.
We promise you, Vegas ain’t cheap and fight fans were still prepared to fork over their hard-earned money to see the monumental meeting of Aldo v McGregor.
Sure the Mendes fight isn’t as glamorous as the Aldo one but they’re still going to get to see their hero compete for a belt on Saturday week and, if McGregor wins, then they can go home happy in the knowledge that the doubts about his wrestling prowess have been answered and that The Notorious is undoubtedly the number one contender at 145lbs.
One winner
Chad Mendes
Money must be delighted because he’s getting plenty of it.
This time last week Mendes was probably still relaxing, spending the bonus money he earned by knocking Ricardo Lamas out in April, when he got the phonecall from Uncle Dana.
He was essentially offered a bigger payday than he could have dreamed of, the chance to claim an interim world title (which would set up the unification bout in the completion of an Aldo v Mendes trilogy) and the opportunity to shut the mouth of Conor McGregor.
While McGregor is in a bit of a lose/lose scenario, Mendes is quite the opposite.
If the Alpha Male fighter loses then he has the excuse of short notice, having a fortnight to prepare for the tough test of one of the best strikers in mixed martial arts.
If he wins then Mendes can take a UFC belt home and continue to chill out, waiting for the UFC 189 money to appear in his account.
