The UFC want to cash in Conor, and why not, he is a huge draw, but I am starting to believe he isn't the fighter I thought he was, he is no Ronda, and certainly no Aldo.
Let me explain.
I recently rewatched the Conor/Mendes fight, and then Mendes/Aldo 2. The difference in Mendes from the opening bell was clear, he was terrified about his cardio. His entire game is based on being light on his toes, darting in and out, throwing bombs, faking shots, there was none of that, he was totally flat footed. I read a few theories that Conor's body shots slowed him down, I don't buy it, he took some brutal body shots from Aldo over 5 rounds and never slowed. And yet even with no cardio, Mendes still took Conor down with ease.
By the end of round two he was so tired, he was just standing there letting Conor tee off on him. Conor owes him a rematch. To say that fight told us anything about McGregor is bullshit.
So the UFC had the choice of Frankie who was in fight shape and ready to go and Mendes who was not. To protect the cash cow the UFC went for Mendes. Mendes wanted the payday and took the fight. Aldo on the other hand doesn't give a fuck, if he isn't in top shape, he isn't fighting.
I think Conor is a great fighter and has great potential, but he has talked his way into too big a fight too soon. Aldo is a different beast, and he is going to come in full blast looking to kill. I can't wait.
Gotta admit, I kind of agree with OP.
Not to mention when mendes had him down mcgregor didn't do too much to get back to his feet. He was almost content to just lay there and throw some strikes from the bottom. I think it would be a completely different fight if mendes gets a full camp, 
Yea that theory about giving an out of shape mendes the fight instead of a ready to fight Edgar makes a lot of sense 
jiujitsu100 - The UFC want to cash in Conor, and why not, he is a huge draw, but I am starting to believe he isn't the fighter I thought he was, he is no Ronda, and certainly no Aldo.VU for you sir, someone else who see's the reality and not the hype.
Let me explain.
I recently rewatched the Conor/Mendes fight, and then Mendes/Aldo 2. The difference in Mendes from the opening bell was clear, he was terrified about his cardio. His entire game is based on being light on his toes, darting in and out, throwing bombs, faking shots, there was none of that, he was totally flat footed. I read a few theories that Conor's body shots slowed him down, I don't buy it, he took some brutal body shots from Aldo over 5 rounds and never slowed. And yet even with no cardio, Mendes still took Conor down with ease.
By the end of round two he was so tired, he was just standing there letting Conor tee off on him. Conor owes him a rematch. To say that fight told us anything about McGregor is bullshit.
So the UFC had the choice of Frankie who was in fight shape and ready to go and Mendes who was not. To protect the cash cow the UFC went for Mendes. Mendes wanted the payday and took the fight. Aldo on the other hand doesn't give a fuck, if he isn't in top shape, he isn't fighting.
I think Conor is a great fighter and has great potential, but he has talked his way into too big a fight too soon. Aldo is a different beast, and he is going to come in full blast looking to kill. I can't wait.
Has everyone forgotten that Conor busted his knee and could barely workout 2 weeks before the fight? Conor had a bad knee and Mendes had a short camp. Both had excuses, Conor still knocked Mendes out.
"To say that fight told us anything about McGregor is bullshit"
One big thing I took from that fight is that Conor can take huge shots from the hardest puncher in the division and laugh them off like they're nothing. That is huge.
I don't think we have been duped.
Conor is a great fighter.
is he best of all time, best in the UFC etc etc etc
No not even close. He could be though i guess. We will see soon enough, lets all relax.
While I agree with OP, I agree with the UFC protecting Conor. I hope they give him a bunch of tomato cans to beat. That's how you build a fighter.
Honestly if Conor beats Aldo what excuses are you guys going to make ?
How many other fighters could beat Mendes even if he only had two weeks to prepare? If he was too out of shape to fight Conor he shouldn't have lied and taken the fight he's always one fight away from the title anyways
THE_REAL_AMERICAN -
cardio = takedowns ?
i take it you are not a wrestler
Technically the thread should have ended here. However, stupid people gonna stupid.
Op forgets McGregors knee was jacked most of that camp and couldn't wrestle. 2 week replacement v best wrestler in UFC and he still KOd him inside 2.
WATHUNT - Honestly if Conor beats Aldo what excuses are you guys going to make ?They'll be like that last fight with Chad changed Aldo that's definitely not the Aldo we've seen in the past
So McGregor came into the UFC with hype, from his performances in Cage Warriors. Everyone knew he was talented, but wasn't tested. "He's nothing until he's won in the UFC."
So in his first fight, he's given Marcus Brimage. Not a world beater by any stretch of the imagination, but had won 3 straight in the UFC, including a win over previously undefeated Jim Hettes.
McGregor makes light work of him. People say Brimage was just too small for McGregor. So in his next fight, he competes against a taller Max Holloway. McGregor tears his ACL in mid-fight. An injury that should have been enough to throw in the towel, and nobody would have thought lesser of him. But he didn't, and not only did he not quit with a fucked up ACL - he went on to win.
So next up he fights Brandao. A hit and miss fighter, who has decent power. Once again, McGregor makes light work of him.
All across forums, people are still saying he still hasn't proved himself. He hasn't beaten a "good fighter" yet. So up steps Dustin Poirier. A good fighter, riding a 3 fight win streak and full of confidence.
McGregor stops him in the first round, like always. So McGregor lines up a shot against Aldo. But in the meantime, he wants to stay active to ensure he has no ring rust. So he fights Denis Siver. A decent fighter, with a decent record. Fans bitch and moan that he's not fighting a better fighter, completely missing the point that it's just a filler fight.
So at this point - McGregor is 6-0 in the UFC, with 5 stoppages. All dominant performances. He's given a title shot against Aldo. People bitch and moan about his title shot, but forget that Anderson Silva had only won one fight before his title shot.
Nevertheless, the fight is setup. Aldo pulls out due to an injury, and on only a week's notice McGregor has to go from fighting a muay thai fighter, to a wrestler without any preparation whatsoever for it. This is on top of the fact that he had now had to put in double the amount of media obligations, more than any fighter in the history of the UFC for any single fight.
Despite that, he still goes out there - and still wins. People say he was exposed. Why? Because he was taken down by the best wrestler in the division? What did you expect to happen? Mendes takes people down - it's what he does. McGregor still pulled out the win.
There was no recognition of the fact that McGregor actually stuffed a few takedowns. There was no recognition of the fact that McGregor pulled off one of the sickest escapes from a guillotine in recent history. No recognition of the fact that he was forced to face a wrestler, on one week's notice.
If there's any myth that has been built up about McGregor - it's been from his detractors. The fact that he's a mortal human being, with flaws is enough for them.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are just enjoying the ride.
You idiots keep forgetting, Conor didn't have a full camp either to train for a wrestler yet he still won.
If they both have full camps the result is the same it'd just last a little longer
DalyDentedDecimated'sDome -trobinson21 - The UFC has developed a formula. That formula has nothing to do with identifying the best fighter in the world.
being white, arogant, and talky are huge factors in that equation.
I was going to point out all the black fighters and champions that are popular, but then I saw you have the spelling and punctuation of a 6 year old child, so simple logic, common sense and reason would be a waste of time.
Someone with your level of intelligence, really shouldn't use the phrase "factors in that equation" or get into a discussion or debate with anyone older than ten.
I got the conor overhyped threads behind he fought poirer, I even participated in some. He was unproven. Now he has knocked out 2 top 5s FWs with a top 15 in between.
There is absolutely no denying conor now. Anyone who does is just a pure and absolute hater.
I didn't like Conor at first simply because of the hype. If he is a beast, put him in the cage and lets find out. Dude has been taking names, while still growing in the sport. Starting to grow on me some too. He fights best at range. Picking people apart with insane kicks and near pin point accurate hands, with speed. When he steps in, he covers a lot of ground and often steps through if you're too close. I'd like to see him work more on his clinch, dirty boxing and ground game. His stance is suspect to leg kicks. If he does ever meet a 6' cerrone, idk how many "fuck you" kicks he could take before being grounded. And I would have Cowboy all day if it hits the dirt.
I am actually enjoying the excuses the haters come up with after every Conor victory...After Aldo it will be "Aldo was a good style match-up for Conor, he can't beat Frankie"... Once he goes to 155 it will be "He's running from 'full camp' Mendes" and so on and so on.