IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO know whether or not it will have an impact on the outcome of their bout, but it seems clear that Conor McGregor has succeeded in his attempts to antagonise featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
The pair are currently in the midst of a media tour to promote their title fight, which will headline UFC 189 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, 11 July.
Their media obligations began in Aldo’s native Brazil last Friday, and after their very first staredown in front of the fans in Rio de Janeiro, Aldo was aggravated by the words and actions of his next challenger.
“I’m really mad. I can’t wait to go right through him,” said a seething Aldo, after McGregor mentioned his desire to ‘invade his favela on horseback’, among other verbal jibes.
The UFC 189 media tour then moved on to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as McGregor continued to taunt the champion. Last night on ESPN, the Dubliner told Aldo ‘I’m your daddy’ and invited him to sit on his lap.
McGregor also managed to get his hands on Aldo’s belt, which certainly irked the champ.
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Speaking to The42 at a Tiger Uncage event in Dublin, McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh said: “From Jose Aldo, I’ve seen the same level of discomfort that everybody else has seen over the last few days, but what I will say is that I was genuinely surprised.
“I remember when Conor got in his face after the last fight but Aldo looked super calm and just smiled at him. So I thought okay, this is going to be interesting because he doesn’t look like he’s going to get caught up in it.
“Then, after the first time they meet face-to-face, Aldo goes backstage and starts rubbing his head, shaking his head, looking at the ground… I was really blown away by how much of an impact it seemed to have on him.
“There now seems to be two things that surprise fighters: the first time they meet Conor eye-to-eye, and the second is how hard he hits. They’re the two things that catch people out. Aldo has now felt the first one, and on 11 July he’ll feel the second.”
With a week of their media tour still remaining and the fight itself over three months away, is it only a matter of time before Aldo breaks like poor Tony did with Father Noel Furlong?
