The Savage Truth: Featherweights Take Center Stage
It is a long way from July 11 and UFC 189, but the hype machine is revving up as we speak of Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Jose Aldo and his brash foil Conor McGregor hitting the road this week to drum up interest in what many are billing as the biggest fight the 145-pound division has ever hosted.
We’ve seen the company kick its PR effort into high gear over the past few months and it seems to have worked wonders for some highly-anticipated fights but what will the lasting effects be for arguably their most dominant champion and his silver-tongued challenger?
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In one corner, you have a 28 year-old fighter who has not tasted defeat in nearly a decade: Let that sink in for a moment. Jose Aldo was a green 19 years of age the one and only time he suffered defeat.
He has gone on to fight his way into the Zuffa Universe as a
World Extreme Cagefighting signee, where he rattled off 15
victories in-a-row, adding both the WEC and UFC featherweight
straps to his wardrobe and establish himself as one of the best
fighters in the world regardless of weight class. The one thing, --
the only thing really -- missing from Aldo’s resume is a dance
partner that has brought out his personality and put him over with
MMA fans.
Related » Aldo: I am MMA's No. 1 Pound-for-Pound Fighter
Anderson Silva had Chael Sonnen. Georges St. Pierre had B.J. Penn. Randy Couture had Vitor Belfort. Chuck Liddell had Randy Couture. And let us not forget Jake Shields and … err … never mind. Sorry Jordan Breen: he still isn’t over with anyone but you.
Let’s face it, this is a golden opportunity for the UFC and it is win-win matchmaking for Sean Shelby and company. It seems McGregor has brought out the personality of Aldo in a way no other opponent has to this point. Should Aldo go out and starch the amusing “joker,” he will most likely be doing it before the biggest audience he will have ever fought in front of.
In doing so he could cement himself as not only the best featherweight the sport has ever seen, but as a legitimate draw for the company; something he has failed to accomplish thus far in his stellar career.
On the other hand we have McGregor (17-2-0) and his magnetic personality. The self-styled “king” of the featherweights, the outspoken, braggadocios Irishman who has captivated those who have followed his exploits since joining the ranks of the Las Vegas-based promotion makes no bones about his place atop what he has dubbed the McGregor division.
While most people think this claim is a bit premature you have to give the young man his due. Like Reggie Jackson used to say, “It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.” And McGregor has backed it up so far, running his UFC record to 5-0. But let’s not pretend it has been against competition even close to what Aldo brings to the table.
I know there was a lot of pre-fight talk about how Dennis Siver was a real threat to McGregor his last time out, but in all reality he was a patsy. Hell, I’m surprised Siver wasn’t yelling that on his way to the cage like Lee Harvey Oswald did walking through the hallways of the Dallas Police Department.
This will likely be McGregor’s stiffest test since he won a hard-fought yet clear decision over Max Holloway after tearing his ACL early in his second UFC bout. Wins over Marcus Brimage, Diego Brandao and Dustin Poirier just don’t make you a top-of-the-food chain guy, but a win over Aldo would answer nearly everything about McGregor.
It would leave one last lingering question: How will he do against a high-end wrestler?
I’m sure we’d get that answer too as well, because his likely first challengers would be either the aforementioned Edgar or the winner of the Chad Mendes-Conrad Migillicutty … I mean Ricardo Lamas fight.
Honestly, I think McGregor has been a needed shot of excitement; something the sport has been sorely lacking. It is going to be fun to watch him and Aldo spar verbally over the next few months before they step into the cage to finally settle their differences and decide who gets to sport the big gold belt.
While I am a little more than mildly confident Aldo is going to serve up a healthy portion of humble pie come July 11, there is another thing I am absolutely confident of: the UFC featherweight division, no matter who wins, will finally be taking up its rightful place as one of the premier weight classes in the UFC.
And win, lose or draw, Conor McGregor will be the driving force behind that positive change.
Greg Savage is the executive editor of Sherdog.com and can be reached via email or on Twitter @TheSavageTruth.
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