In a recent interview with Jon Anik and Kenny Florian, Frankie Edgar criticized his December opponent Chad Mendes regarding UFC 189, and said the multi-time challenger seemed to be “looking for a way out” and just “fighting for a paycheck” against Conor McGregor.
Mendes appeared on the show this week and responded to those comments, calling them disrespectful and saying Edgar can find out for himself on Dec. 11 in their Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale bout.
“I think that’s super disrespectful,” Mendes said (transcribed by MMAFighting.com). “There’s no way I’m ever going into any fight looking for a paycheck, looking for a way out. I’m going in there to win every single time. There’s no way I’m ever taking a dive. There’s no amount of money in this world that could pay me off in a fight. I’m a very competitive person. I’ve been competing since I was five years old.
“This is my life. This is what I live for. I’ve built everything around that. I’m not going to go in there looking to find an easy way out. There’s only one way to find that out, Frankie. We’re going to find out Dec. 11. I definitely don’t think this is going to be an easy fight for you.”
Penick’s Analysis: Mendes not taking kindly to those comments is to be expected. Neither’s really much for trash talking, but Mendes has pride in himself and what he does in the cage, so that type of comment from Edgar is obviously going to bother him a bit. Their fight on Dec. 11 is going to be a great one, and Mendes can effectively keep Edgar from a title fight opportunity with a win. That’s what he’ll be focusing on in the next couple of months, and both will stake their claim for the No. 2/3 spot in the division in that matchup.
[Photo (c) Joe Camporeale via USA Today Sports]
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