Conor McGregor: Jose Aldo 'will be done within 4 minutes of the first round'
UFC 189 main event fighter Conor McGregor is no stranger to getting into his opponents' heads before he actually faces them in the Octagon, but despite times where he's called fighters out for being on the way out of the sport, in the wrong weight class or simply outmatched, he promises nothing is ever personal.
Take for instance McGregor's statements about featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who he faces on July 11 in what's expected to be the biggest UFC event of the year.
McGregor recently told FOX Sports his prediction for the Aldo fight and why he sees this fight ending inside the first round.
"It will be done within four minutes of the first round. It will be a formality after that," McGregor said. "It's up to how long he wants to stay in there. Like I said, he's on his way out. His body has taken a lot of damage. His brain has rattled many times. His face has been disfigured many times. Now his coach is looking to bounce from the game as well.
"The game is designed to break you. It's inevitable. This is his time to be broken. Four minutes, it will be wrapped up. After that it will be a formality."
While McGregor's words could be construed as derogatory or insulting to the only featherweight champion the UFC has ever known, the outspoken Irishman would rather see it as truth telling.
No matter what he's stated about Aldo or any other potential opponent, the comments might seem inflammatory, but it's never personal to McGregor. He's just speaking his mind, but says doesn't hold a grudge against anybody in the division.
"I don't love anybody, I don't hate anybody either. I have no feelings towards anybody in this game. It's business," McGregor said. "Business has no feelings. For me it's business and business is good these days."
McGregor rarely minces words or actions, like when he grabbed Aldo's featherweight title during the UFC press tour to promote their bout and hoisted it high in the air while declaring himself the real champion.
In Brazil, McGregor got in Aldo's face and said 'u vai morrer', which translates from the Brazilian's native tongue to say 'you're going to die'.
Both of those incidents infuriated Aldo to the point where he's actually plotting his actions ahead of the next time he sees McGregor at UFC 189 in July. He even hinted it could turn into a full on brawl similar to what happened between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier last August.
It's clear Aldo is taking this rivalry very personally, but McGregor insists there's none of that same emotion coming from him ahead their showdown in just a few short weeks.
He just sees Aldo as another challenge to tackle and dollars to add to his bank account. Nothing more, nothing less.
"It's never personal. It's business and business is business," McGregor said. "I'm self motivated. I'm motivated by movement and money and that's it."
