Rogan: Mendes could be as big a star as Conor

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                                Rogan: Mendes could be as big a star as Conor

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                        <a href="/go=news.detail&gid=453074" ><img class="photo" src="http://img.mixedmartialarts.com/method=get&rs=60&q=75&x=134&y=23&w=310&h=165&ro=0&s=chad-mendes-joe-rogan.jpg" /></a>



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                    <p>UFC featherweight <a href="http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/453072/UFC-189-odds-Mc-and-Mac-favorites/" target="_blank">Conor McGregor is favored to beat Chad Mendes</a> at UFC 189 on Saturday. There are predictions that if McGregor wins he will be the next Muhammad Ali in combat sports, but if Mendes wins he will be the 2nd best guy in the UFC featherweight division.</p>

UFC commentator Joe Rogan doesn't agree with any of that.

"I think Chad Mendes should be the favorite," said Rogan as transcribed by David St. Martin for MMAFighting.com. "Chad Mendes knocked Ricardo Lamas, dead. Dead. With one punch. He smashes dudes. He goes after guys. He's a destroyer."

"Mendes easily could be as big a star as Conor McGregor. He wouldn't talk like Conor McGregor did, but neither did Georges St-Pierre. Georges St-Pierre was the biggest pay-per-view star of all time. Because he was a gentleman. Georges St-Pierre got a million pay-per-view buys."

"The last fight was razor close. There's an argument that could be made that if they fought in America he would have won that decision. There's also an argument to be made that if Jose Aldo didn't land that late punch after the first round that knocked Mendes down and had him very hurt, it could have been a very different fight.

"Let me tell you something, if he goes out and starches Conor, he's a giant."

Chad Mendes fights Conor McGregor for the UFC interim featherweight cahmpionship on Saturday, July 11 in the main event at UFC 189 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Not even close. Don't see Mendes even reaching Faber levels of stardom.

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GSP and McG have two things he does not and that's being given the honour/responsibility of representing their entire nation in their sport. MMA is too big in America for there to be one guy for all the fans to gravitate towards like Canada had with Georges.

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Rogan is right on the money most of the time.

He is dead wrong here. Chad is a dumb jock, nothing more. Phone Post 3.0

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Mendes is cool and a great fighter but will never be a fighter that transcends sport. Phone Post 3.0

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Nah, he's a charisma black hole. Phone Post 3.0

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Chad is decent enough at shit-talking, but let's be real Joe. A personality like Conor McGregor does not come around very often. There's absolutely no comparison between the two.

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Chad is horrible at shit talking. He does come off, as someone above mentioned, as a dumb jock but ONLY when he steps out of his element and tries to compete in shit talking with Conor. (Fuck you pussy. I'll ruin your life, pussy. etc.) He seems like he's usually just a nice, quiet guy who works hard. GSP was much smarter and never tried to step out of his own comfort zone. He knew better. But maybe if Chad becomes champ his management would get him a media/PR consultant to help him work out his public personality.

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And yet Mendes hasn't become champ after two title challenges. If he did become champ, would he have a long, dominant reign like GSP did?

And Mendes doesn't have a unique and appealing persona, like GSP did with his "gentleman" persona.

Have to disagree with Joe.

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Lil burnt out the day he said this I am guessing?

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Chad has the charisma of a potato.

Being a great fighter is not enough to make you a star, there is an intangible "it factor" and don't ask me to describe what that is. But you either have it or you don't.

Chad doesn't have it and when he tries to stand on the same stage with someone like Conor, it's glaringly obvious.

That press conference was awful for him. It was cringeworthy.

That doesn't mean he can't beat Conor but he will never be as large a star.

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Conor has a whole country behind him, Mendes does not. White Americans don't like Mendes just cause he's white and from the U.S. He also doesn't have the mic skills Conor does. Chad will never be as huge as McGregor plain and simple Phone Post 3.0

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The last fight was not a razor thin decision, it was close but aldo was very clearly the winner Phone Post 3.0

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209ESE -


mendes makes me cringe when he talks



conor causes inspiration



he's always been in fabers shadow(you have to be very tiny to fit in that shadow)



conors girl is hotter



homeboy doesnt have a fanbase



rogan needs to lay off the drugs

This Phone Post 3.0

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No he couldn't Phone Post 3.0

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I agree that Mendes should be the favorite but to say Mendes could easily be the star that McGregor is? WTF?

Rogan is often the voice of reason but that's so far out in left field. Phone Post 3.0

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if Mendes wins he already lost twice to Aldo .If Conner wins hes a superstar .Conner is 100x more marketable

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Hadouken - Lol at people saying Mendes at disadvantage cause his American and doesnt have a "nation behind him". News flash Connor comes from Ireland that is a population of 4.8 mil. North America population 565 Mil. Mendes requires 0.7% of Americana to care.


He does require that. And he can't.

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TFK_Bro Lo El Cuñado -
BTR - Chad is horrible at shit talking. He does come off, as someone above mentioned, as a dumb jock but ONLY when he steps out of his element and tries to compete in shit talking with Conor. (Fuck you pussy. I'll ruin your life, pussy. etc.) He seems like he's usually just a nice, quiet guy who works hard. GSP was much smarter and never tried to step out of his own comfort zone. He knew better. But maybe if Chad becomes champ his management would get him a media/PR consultant to help him work out his public personality.
Yeah, because shit talking counts for anything when that cage door closes. Phone Post 3.0
You are missing the whole "marketing" angle that is essential for a fighter to draw in viewers.

I get that a lot of people don't like "loud mouth fighters" but the gift of gab is necessary to attract people to the sport.

A guy who can speak well AND back up the talk in the cage is better than a guy who is otherwise dull and backs it up in the cage.

I don't expect you to concede that point but I'm sure you understand. Phone Post 3.0

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No!

The big difference that Conor and GSP have that Mendes doesnt have is that:

1: they were/are THE perdonification off mma for their country
2: MMA is accepted (mainstream) in their country making them mainstream stars
3: They are considered heros/superdtars in their country with the whole nation behind them over any other mma fighter Phone Post 3.0