UFC 194 – Why Jose Aldo Will Destroy Conor McGregor

With stars and champions on the Sin City dais alongside him, McGregor was still a compelling presence.

But McGregor scored a victory outside the cage Wednesday when he signed an exclusive endorsement deal with Fanatics. I have a point to prove. “I have been making them pretty easy for myself, I feel”. “There is no concern”. “100 per cent it is”. “I will strike him with every limb”.

McGregor thinks he sees where Rousey went wrong, and he doesn’t worry that he could fall victim to the same distractions and wavering focus. One of those things has got to give this weekend and while it’s hard to say which one it will be, finding out will be an entertaining endeavor. It’s nothing negative. It wasn’t because of anything that happened with me or with (UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta) or anything with the sport. “I am only warming up here”.

The show of respect certainly took Dana White by surprise. “He’s better than (Muhammad) Ali”. If I was Jose Aldo, I would be pissed. You have to fight.

The Irish warrior takes on the Brazilian at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in a bid to unify the world and interim featherweight titles. I see him crumbling. This one will be a spectacle. Also, selections will be calculated into community predictions and can only be changed if one were to make a new prediction. I am calm, unsafe and sure. In addition to the culmination of the almost yearlong Aldo-McGregor hype, Long Island’s Chris Weidman defends his middleweight title against Luke Rockhold. His spies must be telling him that I’m going to go in there and win the fight. “I was an apprentice plumber, and I went into a auto place with, like, ten cents in my pocket”.

Rockhold’s punching and kicking skills are also to feared, but if Weidman can put him down early he can continue to build that pressure and grind the top ranked challenger into the mat. I will be a ghost in there. “He will chase me and I’ll not be there”. What can they say after Jose falls? He moves the same. No matter how much McGregor prizes his unique brand of movement, Aldo has tighter, more consistent footwork, which he uses to set up counterpunches and kicks.

Predictable. Eighth defence of his UFC featherweight crown. Next, it was Renan Barao who fell victim to the unimaginable in a knockout-loss to TJ Dillashaw after nine years of near-perfection.

Then there is the mental game. “I’ve been true to myself at different stages of the process. I think I still have other opponents to face”, he said. “I’m going to embarrass Jose in there”. “I’ve never really had a problem with cutting weight”. Now is our time. From the favela. Silent. And come Saturday night, the battle is likely to come down to who can will the action to the area of the Octagon of their liking.

Given his size advantage and high TKO percentage, McGregor may find himself with the advantage if it turns into a stand-up contest, but Aldo has shown time and time again he is able to inflict enough damage to dominate the fight and negate his opponents’ strengths.