While Conor McGregor seems to be the talk of the UFC town with his first-round TKO victory over Diego Brandao on Saturday, his original opponent seems none too impressed.
UFC featherweight Cole Miller was supposed to fight McGregor but broke his hand before the fight, resulting in Brandao being a last-minute replacement.
Miller said that while McGregor looked good, he was facing an opponent who didn’t have enough time to prepare.
“I thought he looked pretty solid,” Miller told Sherdog Radio Network. “It’s pretty easy to look good when everything’s made for you to look good. He got to fight in his home town with all those people there supporting him. He got a full camp of preparation when his opponent didn’t.”
While McGregor is getting a lot of attention, especially on the heels of his win putting him in the division’s top 10 and co-headlining UFC 178 versus Dustin Poirier, Miller remains skeptical of the Irishman’s abilities.
“I think Poirier’s been working real hard and doing some real impressive things in the division,” said Miller. “I think he’s ready for a Frankie Edgar or [Cub] Swanson or [Chad] Mendes. [UFC] is obviously trying to build the McGregor fight and I don’t think [McGregor] deserves it, but I don’t think he deserves a lot of things he’s gotten.
Miller believes that the UFC is behind McGregor’s meteoric rise to the top and that casual MMA fans simply echo what they are being forced to believe.
“I think when these people are spoon-fed what their opinions should be they start saying the same stuff they’ve already been hearing from the UFC and the brass,” said Miller. I think [the UFC is] behind [McGregor]. I don’t think that he’s a bad thing. I’m not saying he’s great for the sport but he’s probably pretty good for the division. I don’t think Jose Aldo is that big of a draw amongst the fighters. Everyone’s always looking for the gold and he’s the best, but I don’t get a good vibe from fans. Nobody really wants to watch Aldo fight.”
Credit: MMAFighting.com
