Aldo and McGregor left the aggressive atmosphere behind just before UFC 194. Photo: Reproduction
José Aldo e Conor McGregor they came face to face for the first time in the week of the highly anticipated fight that will headline UFC 194, an event that will take place this Saturday (12), in Las Vegas, in the United States. This Wednesday, the fighters participated in the press conference to promote the attraction, and the atmosphere between them was less hostile than expected.
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McGregor, author of the main provocations in recent months, arrived at the press conference in a “zen mode”, as he himself defined it. With a calm tone of voice, the Irishman avoided making gratuitous provocations towards Aldo, but took advantage of the opportunity to express all his confidence in victory.
“This fight will be a spectacle, a class performance. It will be the passing of the baton, the beginning of a new era. I have something to prove, and everyone who has something to prove is dangerous. But I'm calm. I feel like I'm the favorite and I've been acting like the favorite, like a champion”, said the Irishman, holder of the interim belt in the 66 kg category. “Before, when I was more aggressive, I was being honest with what I was feeling, but now the situation is different. War is coming. I am calm, focused, merciless to dispatch the body in front of me,” he continued.
When asked about a prediction for the fight, McGregor said: “I see myself going into the fight unpredictable. I'm going to put pressure on him and I'm going to hit him everywhere, with my knee, ankle, hands, elbow. I'll be a ghost – he'll think I'm in one place, but I'm not. It will be a work of art. This will show what I've been saying, that I'm number one. I feel that José is stuck in his habits, in his patterns. They fight the same way, they hit the gauntlet the same way. It's repetition. I feel like it closes your mind and makes you predictable,” the Irishman added.
Aldo, in turn, maintained the same speech as usual, minimizing the hostile atmosphere with McGregor and reinforcing his focus on the fight. “My advantage is training. I am very well trained, prepared for anything. If it's on the feet I'll end the fight, if it's on the ground I'll end it. Wherever this fight happens, I will take it. [McGregor's provocative stance] It's part of it. It's a show. I'm ready to fight, so nothing that happens outside stays in my head. I trust my coaches, myself and I know my potential”, said the Brazilian.
At the end of the press conference, the two came face to face for the traditional face-off. The atmosphere, again, was not hostile: both faced each other seriously, but without aggression, with Conor adopting an unorthodox posture for the photo.
Other stars remain in the background
The press conference also featured athletes who will have other important fights throughout the week, such as Chad Mendes e Frankie Edgar, who face each other on Friday, and Chris Weidman e Luke Rockhold, who fight for the middleweight belt shortly before Aldo vs. McGregor. And, as expected, the athletes took a backseat, as most of the questions were aimed at the stars of the week.
Mendes, the only athlete to have faced both Aldo and McGregor, was asked about a prediction for the fight. He avoided taking sides with any of them. “I feel that they are both capable of causing problems for each other. Conor is long, left-handed and uses pressure well, while Aldo is explosive. Aldo is better in the ground game, so let's see what happens mentally. I’m looking forward to seeing that,” he guessed.
Weidman and Rockhold showed mutual respect with some jokes, but both declared they were focused on the fight. “I feel like I have something to prove to myself, to show myself how good I am,” said the middleweight champion. “I feel ready, whether technically, mentally and physically. I’m going to show that I’m the best”, countered the challenger.
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