Eddie Alvarez is a far tougher opponent for Conor McGregor than people are giving him credit for, according to UFC colour commentator Joe Rogan.
The Underground King will put his “big-boy belt” on the line at UFC 205 as he takes on the featherweight champion in a legitimate super-fight on November 12.
At the time of writing, Alvarez is an underdog for the scrap despite the fact that he’s the bigger man, he’s more experienced and is riding a longer win-streak than ‘The Notorious’ against arguably tougher opponents.
Alvarez enters into this bout off the back of wins over former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez, former UFC king Anthony Pettis and most recently, he knocked out iron-jawed Rafael dos Anjos to claim the 155lbs strap. However, people are still underestimating him which is, as Joe Rogan explained on the UFC 204 edition of Fight Companion, a foolish move.
“I think people are fucking sleeping on Eddie Alvarez. I think he’s a dangerous, dangerous 155lber. That motherfucker can punch. He punches hard, he’s fast as fuck and there’s not a human alive that’s more game than him.”
“He doesn’t get tired, he’s a bigger grappler and he can fucking crack!”
He believes the X-factor for Alvarez in this fight maybe his mentality. He is under the impression that Alvarez is wary of McGregor’s ability to switch off someone’s lights with one punch and this fear should work in his favour to make this one hell of a fight.
“He’s just as game as they come. I think he’s one of those guys that fights at his very best when he’s scared. I think that’s going to be one of the best things about this fight is that he thinks Conor’s a dangerous motherfucker just like he did of Rafael dos Anjos.”
Rogan also emphasised how huge Alvarez’s title-winning performance was against RDA. In his mind, the Brazilian was on course to becoming one of the greatest champions in the sport’s history, then Eddie merked him in the first round.
“He stopped dos Anjos in the first round and a lot of people, including me, were making the argument that dos Anjos if you look at the guys he’s beaten – stopped Cowboy in the first round, beat the shit out of Nate Diaz, beat Pettis up, stopped Ben Henderson, crushed.”
“When you look at the guys he’s beaten, there’s a real argument that he’s one of the best lightweights of all time and Eddie went and stopped him in the first round.”
Alvarez was drowned out by the boos during the press conference. https://t.co/PKjMFHwgWE
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) October 5, 2016
Retired UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub echoed Rogan’s sentiments. Although he admitted that he was the “biggest Conor nut-rider in the world,” he still believes Eddie matches up very well against ‘The Notorious’.
“It’s a scary fight man. Anyone who thinks it’s an easy fight or not a big fight for Conor, they just don’t know the sport. You’re talking about the Underground King.”
“If you look at the top five, it’s the easiest match-up for Eddie and that’s a fucking nightmare for him. Eddie can grapple his ass off, he’s been in so many big fights, he doesn’t get tired, he doesn’t mind winning by the decision either. Look at his resume.”
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