Dennis Bermudez didn't watch Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes II: 'I don't care'
MEXICO CITY -- If you were at Hooters or Buffalo Wild Wings in Southern California last month for UFC 179, you would not have run into Dennis Bermudez.
The main event of the card was a UFC featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes. So you'd imagine it would have struck Bermudez's curiosity, since he's one of the top fighters in that same division.
Well, if you thought that, you're wrong. Bermudez didn't watch Aldo-Mendes II outside of a 30-second highlight clip on FOX Sports 1 while he was in California finishing up his training camp.
"I don't care," Bermudez told FOX Sports at UFC 180 media day Thursday. "The winner of that doesn’t change anything for me. I'm the best in the weight class. I'll beat anybody. Whoever has the belt doesn’t matter and how they fight doesn’t matter."
Bermudez (14-3) is feeling pretty confident these days and rightfully so. He has won seven straight fights in a loaded division and he'll go for eight in a row Saturday against Ricardo Lamas at Arena Ciudad de Mexico. The Long Island, N.Y., resident is pushing his consecutive victories streak hard -- and for good reason. Not many contenders in the UFC can boast such a run.
"Right now my super power, if you will, against all the other featherweights is kind of my streak, that's what's pushing me along and making me stand out amongst the other guys," Bermudez said.
Bermudez is ranked No. 7 among UFC featherweight contenders and Lamas is No. 4. That's why Bermudez feels like his fight -- not Kelvin Gastelum vs. Jake Ellenberger -- should be the co-main event of UFC 180.
"We're two guys that are higher ranked in our division," Bermudez said. "There's a little bit more at stake than between Ellenberger and Gastelum."
He could have a point, though Gastelum and Ellenberger are both excellent, ranked welterweights. It does seem like Lamas-Bermudez has been somewhat overlooked. The storylines around UFC 180 revolve around Cain Velasquez's injury and Mark Hunt's weight cut. The big featherweight bout is under the radar, especially when there is arguably an even bigger one next week at UFC Fight Night in Austin between Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar.
"I think that the true, knowledgeable fans know about this fight and they're very interested in it," Lamas said Wednesday at open workouts. "Casual fans? I don't really care, man. After this fight, they will be talking about it, though."
Bermudez feels the same way. He doesn't have to pay close attention to the rest of the division to believe he's the cream of the crop, which is why he had no interest in seeing Aldo defend the title against Mendes. When the time comes that he has to face one of them, he and his team will get together and watch film.
But until then? Whatever.
"I'm a highlight guy," Bermudez said. "I got the gist of what happened."
