Javier Mendez believes something was off with Conor
McGregor before the Irishman’s
Ultimate Fighting Championship return against Max
Holloway.
The
American Kickboxing Academy head coach claimed McGregor’s
demeanor seemed “odd” before the fight and questioned whether the
former two-division champion was already dealing with an injury
before entering the cage.
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Javier Mendez breaks down Conor McGregor’s unusual demeanor
before the Max Holloway fight
McGregor injured his ACL and meniscus with the very first kick he
threw at Holloway. He was unable to plant both feet while throwing
strikes and repeatedly fell, prompting an anticlimactic referee
stoppage. Since then, speculation has grown about whether McGregor
entered the fight already compromised, with footage of him
appearing hesitant while removing his shoes during the pre-fight
inspection adding fuel to the debate.
Mendez recently weighed in, claiming that something about the Irish
superstar’s walkout looked off.
“The Conor that we saw was different,” Mendez said in an interview
with NewBettingSites. “The first thing that got me
was his mohawk and I was like, ‘What?’ That struck me as a little
odd. But then he didn’t have that relaxed swagger.”
The veteran coach also pointed towards McGregor’s body language
during the walkout and pre-fight moments, noting that the usual
confidence associated with the former champion appeared absent.
Mendez also recalled that McGregor had been practicing kicks
backstage without any visible issues, which made his injury even
more baffling.
“He was in the back room throwing the same kick, and he had no
problem, zero problem with it,” Mendez said. “But then he goes to
the walkout, takes his shoes off and you notice there was something
wrong there. Who knows? Did he hurt himself on that kick, or did he
hurt himself in the warm-up? Only his team knows the answer. All I
know is that it wasn’t him that I saw. He didn’t look comfortable.
He looked very tense.”