Irish MMA superstar Conor McGregor (17-2) has the biggest fight of his life coming up this Saturday, July 11th at UFC 189 in Las Vegas. McGregor was originally slated to face long-reigning UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo but due to a rib injury Aldo suffered in training, McGregor will now face Team Alpha Male product Chad Mendes (17-2) for the interim UFC featherweight title.
Despite the fact that Mendes’ only losses have been to Aldo, and he’s the best wrestler that McGregor has ever faced, the 26-year-old brash Irishman still believes he’s going to finish the NCAA Division I two-time All-American Saturday night. In fact, McGregor fancied a hefty wager against UFC President Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta.
White spoke about it Tuesday on the Jim Rome Show:
“You wanna know how confident this kid is,” said White. “I can’t even believe I’m going to say this but… he told Lorenzo [Fertitta] and I the other day, ‘I’ll bet you $3 million I’ll knock him [Mendes] out in the second round.’ “
Three milly? Call it cocky, confident, or whatever you want. That’s balls. McGregor likes to spend a lot of his money because he said it keeps him hungry. Knowing you’ve just bet $3 million that you’re going to KO your upcoming opponent could also back him in a corner where he feels he has to get the knockout. For a lot of people that pressure could work against them. But it seems like Conor thrives under the pressure.
White also stated that if McGregor defeats Mendes, then a fight against Aldo will be even bigger. That is true and we can’t wait to see how it all plays out.