IS MCGREGOR WORTHY OF ALDO FIGHT?
Did McGregor Get His Crack At Aldo With Talk Or Walk?
Los Angeles, CA–Conor McGregor (17-2, 5-0 UFC) has proven his talent in the Ultimate Fighting Championships thus far, but many question whether he is truly deserving of a scheduled May featherweight (145 lbs.) title fight with Jose Aldo (25-1). While McGregor may not have as much experience in the UFC as other combatants, I feel he has the skills to seriously challenge the last remaining Brazilian champ.
UFC FEATHERWEIGHT RANKINGS
1 Chad Mendes (16-2, 7-2 UFC)
2 Frankie Edgar (18-4-1, 12-4-1 UFC)
3 Ricardo Lamas (15-3, 6-1 UFC)
4 Conor McGregor (17-2, 5-0 UFC) McGregor went up from 5 to 4 after Saturday.
5 Cub Swanson (21-6, 6-2 UFC). Swanson dropped from 4 to 5 after Saturday.
6 Dennis Bermudez (14-4, 7-2 UFC). Bermudez went up to 6 from 7 after Saturday.
7 Dustin Poirier (16-4, 8-3 UFC). Poirier dropped from 6 to 7 after Saturday.
8 Nik Lentz (25-6-2-1, 9-3-1-1 UFC)
9 Charles Oliveira (19-4-0-1, 7-4-0-1 UFC)
10 Jeremy Stephens (23-11, 10-10 UFC) Stephens went up to 10 from 11 after Saturday.
11 Clay Guida (31-15, 11-9 UFC). Guida went up to 11 from 12 after Saturday.
12 Dennis Siver (22-10-0-1, 12-7-0-1 UFC). Siver dropped from 10 to 12 after Saturday.
13 Max Holloway (11-3, 7-3 UFC)
14 Darren Elkins (16-5, 8-4 UFC)
15 Hacran Dias (22-3-1, 2-2 UFC)
WHY NOT NUMBER #1 MENDEZ?
Conor ranked at #4 and getting a shot at the belt begs the question “what about the three guys ranked above him?” Chad Mendes, ranked #1, got his first fight with Aldo with 11-0 overall record and 2-0 UFC record. He got the second fight after going 5-0 with wins over Cody McKenzie (15-6, 4-4 UFC), Yoatzin Meza (20-9-0-1, 1-1-0-1 UFC), Darren Elkins, Nik Lentz, and Clay Guida. Meza made his UFC debut versus Mendez. He has since gone 1-1 with 1 NC. Guida 1-0 was at featherweight when he fought Mendes after years of campaigning at lightweight (155). Lentz was 8-2-1-1 in the UFC when he fought Mendes, which makes him the best opponent on the list. Elkins is also a decent name to have on Mendes’ resume. Perhaps the most glaring problem with Mendes getting a shot is the fact that he has already lost to the champion twice. He should have to earn his way back again in my opinion, as he just dropped a 5-round decision to Aldo on October 25, 2014 in his last bout.
WHAT ABOUT FORMER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMP EDGAR?
Edgar got an instant title shot against Aldo after losing back-to-back title fights at lightweight to Benson Henderson (21-5, 9-3 UFC). He has since beaten Swanson, the shell of B.J. Penn (16-10-2, 12-9-2 UFC), and Charles Oliveira, who was coming off a first round knockout loss to Swanson. Oliveira was 4-3 in the UFC at the time Edgar fought him. Pennwas making his debut at featherweight after dropping back to back decisions at welterweight (170) in his two previous fights. Penn had been out of action for about a year and 8 months before fighting Edgar for the third time. The win over Swanson is big, but not enough to propel Edgar to a second featherweight championship challenge.
RICARDO LAMAS IS NUMBER THREE
Lamas lost a decision to Aldo last February. He is 2-0 since, with wins over Hacran Dias and Dennis Bermudez, numbers 6 and 15 respectively. He secured the first Aldo fight after going 4-0 in the UFC including a win over Swanson. His rise was comparable to that of McGregor, so Conor getting a title shot is not unexpected. Still, guys like Lamas and Swanson have been complaining about the loud-mouth Irishman “talking his way into a title shot”.
SWANSON LOOKS GOOD
Swanson lost a title fight to Aldo in 8 seconds back in their World Extreme Cagefighting days. He has done well in the UFC, but his recent wide decision loss to Edgar hurt his title chances for the time being. He has also lost to Mendes, Aldo, and Lamas in the past. If he can return to the win column, he will likely get a title shot in the near future.
WHO HAS MCGREGOR FOUGHT?
Conor’s UFC opponents are Marcus Brimage (7-4, 4-3 UFC), #13 Max Holloway, Diego Brandao (18-10, 4-3 UFC), #7 Dustin Poirier, and #12 Dennis Siver. Brandao and Brimage are solid but limited fighters. Brandao was knocked out by both Conor and Poirier in the first. Brandao submitted Bermudez in the first. Poirier, Holloway and Siver are comparable to the opposition others ranked in the top 10. Holloway’s other two losses besides the one he suffered at the hands of Conor have been against Poirier and Bermudez. Swanson stopped Siver in the third and won a decision over Poirier. Conor stooped Siver in the second and Poirier in the first. MgGregor has done better than Swanson versus common opposition, which is why he is now ranked above him. Siver has gone 3-2-0-1 at featherweight, but is still a solid opponent for anybody.
DIVISION NEEDED FRESH BLOOD
Before McGregor burst onto the scene, the featherweight division was a lot less interesting. Aldo has been dominating the division since the UFC first made one in 2011. Before that, he was the WEC featherweight champion. He will be the betting favorite against McGregor, but the Irishman has a good chance of upsetting the Brazilian. Virtually all of the other legitimate contenders have already lost to Aldo, yet some fans would rather see them fight the champ than a guy on a 13-fight win streak. The UFC knows that Aldo-McGregor is by far the biggest fight that can be made at 145, and is probably the biggest featherweight title fight in MMA history. Aldo may again prove that he is in a class of his own, but on paper, the speed, power, and overall technique of McGregor pose a bigger threat to Aldo than anyone else in the world. The eyes of the combat sports world will be on Vegas this May.