McGregor’s eyes are still on the main prize

Dubliner faces his toughest test yet

NOTORIOUS he may al r eady be, but tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas ( circa 5am Ir i sh time) the MMA world will finally find out whether Conor McGregor can really live up to his o wn outrageous hype. Number 1 contender Chad Mendes ( 17- 2, 7 KOs) stands between him and the UFC interim featherweight world championship. And it will be anything but easy for the Dubliner against a man who has tasted defeat just twice in his career — both coming in featherweight title bouts at the hands of undisputed champion Jose Aldo.

McGregor (17-2, 15KOs) has worked hard on building his profile both at home and in the USA. And while that has led him to the verge of international superstardom and earned him a shot at a UFC title, it has also served to mask his relative inexperience at the highest level; Mendes has fought over five rounds twice, while McGregor, having beaten everything put in front of him, has yet to even face a bona-fide topfive guy.

He has looked unstoppable since bursting onto the scene in April of 2013 with a TKO win over Marcus Brimage just a minute into the opening round of his UFC debut.

But perhaps the truest measure of his toughness and potential came later that year when he secured a stunning decision win over the highly-rated Max Holloway after suffering what was later revealed to be a torn ACL in the middle of the fight. At that point, everyone began to stand up and take notice.

Since then it’s been it’s been impressive stuff, with stunning TKO wins over increasingly more accomplished top-10 opponents — Diego Brandao (first round), former contender Dustin Poirier (first round) and Denis Siver (second round) all falling to his speed and range.

All of which has led to tonight — the biggest UFC event ever staged on US soil ( a gate exceeding US$7million is expected) and the best mixed martial artist McGregor has ever faced.

Mendes didn’t need to be asked twice when news of Aldo’s rib injury emerged, ruling him out for several months — there is genuine animosity between the American and the ‘Notorious’ Irishman.

In an interview on BT Sport’s Beyond The Octagon in October last year, with a No 1 contender bout between the two very much in the offing at the time, McGregor expressed in no uncertain terms just how he rated Mendes’ grappling skills when the two were live via video link.

‘I can rest my b**** on your fore- head,’ he told the former NCAA Division I college wrestler.

Controversial bookmakers Paddy Power, surprisingly enough, are yet to offer odds on that happening but, with McGregor’s flair for the dramatic, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.

The build- up to this f i ght, although relatively short, has been tense. And at Thursday’s final pr es s co nf er e nce t he pai r exchanged their final barbs.

‘I built this event, this is the McGregor Show,’ the Dubliner began, with a nod to the absent champion. ‘I will pull the trigger, eliminate my opponent and enjoy every second.

‘My mind is bullet proof, solid as a rock. I’m No 1, so who cares if No 2 steps in place of No 3. It makes no difference who stands opposite me in the octagon.

‘I will represent my nation with pride and kill this man. He’s a 5ft 2in twerp who should have kept his mouth shut.’

Mendes, for his part, relishing the opportunity to silence the l i ppy Crumlin native, calmly offered a rather more constructive pre-fight insight, doing his best to ignore the taunting of McGregor.

‘He’s a one-dimensional fighter,’ Mendes said. ‘He’s a stand-up fighter. Bottom line. He doesn’t have anything else. I’m more wellrounded. I have power. I can put people to sleep on their feet, I can take you down and beat a hole in your face and I can submit you. What else can he do?’ We’ll find out tonight. Roughly 2,500 supporters have travelled from Ireland for this fight — and the atmosphere is sure to be electric.

But if only to ensure that his much-anticipated title clash with Aldo does eventually come to pass (and he hopes it will come at the UFC’s recently announced upcoming show in Dublin in October), nothing short of a convincing win tonight will do.