Chad Mendes och fjäderviktsmästaren Jose Aldo möttes under augusti vid en presskonferens inför deras kommande titelmatch, ett möte som slutade med att Aldo knuffade Mendes. Efter händelsen meddelade Jose att han gjorde så för att sälja in matchen, men Chad köper inte Aldos förklaring.
Detta hade Mendes att säga, via ”MMAJunkie”:
The guy’s an a–hole. That’s really what it comes down to. We’re there to sell a fight, and the guy pushes me, and then after he tries to say in interviews, ‘Oh, I just tried to sell the fight.’ Either you’re a moron, or … you lost your cool, so it’s one of the two.
It doesn’t make sense to me to push a dude in the staredown (when) someone’s getting in your face. That’s what our job is — we’re supposed to stand there in front of each other and pose for the damn cameras and s–t. If you don’t like me being there, don’t do the damn staredown.
He seems to be a guy that’s in his comfort zone, because it’s been working. But I think it takes a guy like me with my style to get in there and push a guy like Jose out of his comfort zone, to really test his skill level. Those type of fights always make it entertaining for the fans. I’m going to go out there and test his will, and I’m going to put a hurting on him.
Chad kommer att ta sig an Jose vid UFC 179, en gala som äger rum i Brasilien den 25 oktober.
