'There are a lot of people in Nova União who would beat McGregor', says Dedé Pederneiras

Dedé (center) is the leader of the Nova União academy. Photo: Alexandre Loureiro/Inovafoto

Recently there has been increasing talk about the possibility of the champion José Aldo defend the UFC featherweight belt against Conor McGregor. In the four fights he fought in the octagon, the Irishman won them all in a dominant manner, so many are betting that he is a real threat to Aldo's reign. However, the champion's head coach, Dedé Pederneiras, believes that not only Aldo, but also other athletes from the Nova União academy, would be capable of beating McGregor.

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“I think there are a lot of people in the gym who beat him,” he said, in an interview with the “Portal do Vale-Tudo” website. “Raoni [Barcelos], Hacran [Dias]… There’s a 21-year-old kid who, if I brought him in to fight, I’d beat him up.”

Pederneiras does not consider McGregor to be worthy of fighting for the belt next, but understands that the Irishman's controversial personality could also make a difference. “Just because he had great fights and got the chance to fight for the belt, I don't see him as a challenger. I do not see. But it's the guy who's getting the most attention. Even those who want to fight for the belt talk about the guy. If you stop to see, he didn't catch any of the guys who are actually up front. He hasn’t caught any wrestlers hard, but that’s what he’s selling,” he opined.

Coming off wins over Marcus Brimage, Max Holloway, Diego Brandao e Dustin poirier, McGregor will try for his fifth UFC victory in January, when he faces Dennis Siver in Boston (USA).

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