Conor McGregor: Everything happens for a reason, and now I'm bulletproof
Conor McGregor wanted to fight Jose Aldo back in July, badly. The Irishman hasn't stopped giving the defending featherweight champion grief for pulling out of their originally scheduled UFC 189 bout because of injuries either.
However, McGregor was philosophical recently while eating lunch with reporters in Los Angeles, and said that he's actually happy with the way things turned out. In July, he ended up facing and beating No. 1 featherweight contender, and two-time title challenger Chad Mendes.
Now, McGregor finally gets to face off with Aldo next week at UFC 194. Heading into his short-notice contest against the strong wrestler Mendes, many pundits thought that the Team Alpha Male member would actually be a tougher stylistic matchup for the power and precision striker than Aldo.
By beating Mendes, McGregor says he got to prove something he never had, before. "Everything happens for a reason. If anything, it gave me an opportunity to silence a lot of doubters who said I am being protected," he reasoned.
"A lot of people said I am being protected from this particular type of opponent -- the 'American Wrestler.' 'No way are they going to put him in with an American Wrestler. He's a cash cow. They don't want to sacrifice the cash cow.' And all that type of sh*t I was hearing for a long, long time.
"Not only did they give me an American wrestler, when they knew, and everyone knew that I had one of the toughest camps of my fighting career. So, it was an opportunity to go in there and do that. And, I'm happy with how it all shaped up. If anything, it just comes full circle and makes this even bigger."
Having gone through a last-minute opponent change, supposedly battling serious knee injuries throughout camp, and having to come from behind against Mendes to win, showed McGregor that he's made of tougher stuff than even he previously realized.
"I am a champion," he said.
"When I came through that last camp and everything I'd done and how I'd done it, I became bulletproof. I became invincible, up here (pointed to head), in my body. Now, nothing can stop me. You can throw anything at me. There's nothing that can break my mindset. Nothing. I'm bulletproof."
The bulletproof McGregor now heads into a grudge match against the UFC's most dominant champion, made bigger by time and controversy. Once he walks into the Octagon, Dec. 12, McGregor doesn't plan on just winning, but completely dismantling Aldo.
"When I get in there, I put it on. I put on a show," he concluded.
"I come to fight, and this fight will be a performance. I'm not just going to beat Jose, I'm going to embarass him, in there."
