Chad Mendes fight with McGregor - Questions

[BigDaddyBach]

Mendes looked gassed like 1 minute into the fight. There's no way that was caused by just not being in fight shape. The effects of not being in shape would have been seen later into the fight. Not being in shape would mean a lack of endurance as a fight goes on. That isn't what we saw in this fight. Chad had an adrenaline dump early. The pressure of the moment with all the loud fans, the live music, and the pressure Conor was putting on him both before and in the fight, is what caused the adrenaline dump. Mendes was always gonna be tired for that fight due to these circumstances. The short camp and Conor's body kicks just exacerbated things for Chad.

yeah good point, like Conor says: fighting me is a wholle nudda ballgame. That was the only time fighters got famous musical acts to sing their walkouts. The build up was so intense too. The Irish fans create an atmosphere unlike anything we have ever seen in the UFC. Conor talks so much shit, gets in your head and b the time fight comes, you are fighting to a) not make a fool of yourself b) prove a point and make the joker eat his words.

I dont have any doubt that in the gym, Chad could take Conor down and the fight would go past 2 rounds, but you are right; the atmosphere is on another level. This is often why these huge fights end up so differently than fights on smaller cards. Heck, the first really large show that my band played in (I play drums), I had a complete adrenaline dump after 2 songs and my arms felt like absolute jello. I could normally play for 10hrs straight but throw in 8,000 people, crazy lights, heat, heightened stakes and everything changes. If you have ever performed in front of large crowds, you will understand that adrenaline is a real thing, everything changes when you deal with ridiculously heightened stakes. Conor seems to thrive better in that moment than almost any fighter we have ever seen; it's almost like it makes him better and it is a complete advantage to him.

 

[BigDaddyBach]

The fight is wrongly used for analysis. It's a clear outlier considering the circumstances of the fight. Here's a possibly incomplete list of what was going on back then.


Based on my thread here.

Great thread and breakdown....I missed it before. Also, I don't think Chad gets enough credit for his wrestling. He placed second in NCAA, something Edgar, TJ, Cruz, Cain Benson, Eddie, King Mo etc didn't do. Someone who did place second in NCAA's was Cormier and he did it at a much higher, less skilled weight class.

As Dom Cruz pointed out, wrestling is a life long craft. Chad is a super high wrestler and will put moves together where as RDA will jut blast thru one move. Chad is probably the most underrated and athletic wrestler in the UFC too, especially in the early rounds. He took a healthy Aldo down multiple times and not only has tremendous craftsmanship and skill but also is a super elite athlete. There is no question that his wrestling is even more effective in MMA than the Olympic gold medalist, Henry Cejudo.

 

[RexChapmanFan]

Also against a healthy McGregor?
Mendes was not the only one at a disadvantage.
They were both so far away from the 100%, the fight's not indicative at all of what they're capable of.

I think fully-trained Mendes beats 100% McGregor based on that fight, yes. Not even sure I believe that McGregor was in as bad a shape as he claims. But even so, my opinion would remain.

 

[aus101]

So without a fight camp mendes's cardio can't last two rounds. With four to six extra weeks of training his endurance capacity more than doubles (lol right).

Meanwhile his muscle mass and bodyfat percentage (165 pounds Ish 10 percent bodyfat) doesn't change one iota. Rightt

 

[ChickenNugget]

I think fully-trained Mendes beats 100% McGregor based on that fight, yes. Not even sure I believe that McGregor was in as bad a shape as he claims. But even so, my opinion would remain.

Bold statement. I cannot agree with it, though…
I could also argue that Mendes, who had been fighting regularly, couldn't possibly be gassing out after one round, no matter his condition. I mean, the man went 5 hard rounds with Aldo without gassing. Camp or no camp, an athlete of that caliber shouldn't have gassed so early. Of course, the reason he gassed so rarely was not his lack of training, it was the leg kicks to his body.
McGregor caused it. I believe he'd do the same again.
As to McG's injuries, I thought his timing was off on his sprawls because he couldn't wrestle during camp.

 

[goatmcgregor]

If you are highlevel athele you wont get gassed in 5 minutes no matter what.. I think USADA might have been bigger factor with Chads cardio.. Not sure though

 

[ChickenNugget]

Great thread and breakdown....I missed it before. Also, I don't think Chad gets enough credit for his wrestling. He placed second in NCAA, something Edgar, TJ, Cruz, Cain Benson, Eddie, King Mo etc didn't do. Someone who did place second in NCAA's was Cormier and he did it at a much higher, less skilled weight class.

As Dom Cruz pointed out, wrestling is a life long craft. Chad is a super high wrestler and will put moves together where as RDA will jut blast thru one move. Chad is probably the most underrated and athletic wrestler in the UFC too, especially in the early rounds. He took a healthy Aldo down multiple times and not only has tremendous craftsmanship and skill but also is a super elite athlete. There is no question that his wrestling is even more effective in MMA than the Olympic gold medalist, Henry Cejudo.

Thanks, I'm glad you liked the thread.
I agree with you on Chad's skills, although I probably don't have the most inside into wrestling techniques.

With Cejudo we see the wrestling surprisingly rarely. The reason is, his striking is surprisingly effective, so there was not too much need to take the fight to the ground.

I don't really dare to compare both wrestling wise, though. It's hard to bet against Cejudo at first glance though.

 

[Ralo]

I rewatched it earlier too and thought Chad looked tired after the first minute.

Can't believe people buy into Conor having an 80% torn ACL. Yes, maybe he was injuried and didn't wrestle in camp but it wasn't an injury that significant. Can't remember him having surgery either.