There's no shortage of UFC fighters who would love to give Conor McGregor a slap due to his insistence that he will wipe-out everyone in every weight class that he competes in, but his actions at the recent UFC 197 press conference have upset someone who McGregor will likely never face in the octagon.
UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is a close friend and training partner of McGregor's next opponent Rafael Dos Anjos, and he told MMAFighting.com that if he was there on Wednesday night, he would have given the Irishman a slap for his actions.
Werdum explained that the disrespect shown to Dos Anjos left him frustrated, and claimed that if McGregor did anything like that to him, then there would be a 'big problem':
When [reporters] had a question for Rafael and he talked over him, this is no good. If it was my opponent, I would do this [Werdum makes a gesture like throwing water in his face, then makes a slapping sound], I'd say ‘be quiet.' But that's not Rafael's personality. He's a smart guy, okay, he controls himself, he just thinks about the fight.
It's very important to respect. You have your space, I have my space. We have a fight, why do you touch me before. I thought Conor McGregor wasn't showing respect. It's not good. If he does it to me, he has a big problem. It think it's very important he respects my space and I respect his space.
Werdum himself will take on the man he defeated to claim the heavyweight title, Cain Velasquez, at UFC 196 on February 6th, and yet finds himself fielding questions about Conor McGregor in the run up to that fight. It will be interesting to see how that main event plays out with the altitude of Mexico City at UFC 188 being touted by some as the reason for Cain's underwhelming performance.
This time there will be no such excuses and it should make for a cracking encounter.
