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ROUNDTABLE: Will Conor McGregor live up to the hype at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin?
Jul 19, 2014 - 10:25:24 AM ROUNDTABLE: Will Conor McGregor live up to the hype at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin?

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Will Conor McGregor live up to his hype in his third UFC bout on Saturday against Diego Brandao? If not, do you think he'll still win that fight, just not as impressively, or will Brandao shut down the hype machine with a big win of his own?


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST

After so long out through injury it's impossible to know what version of Conor McGregor will turn up on Saturday night. Not only has he got that psychological aspect to deal with, he's also in the main event fighting in front of thousands of expectant fans (including me) who will want to see him win with a world class performance. He assures us he is twice the fighter he was before the injury, but I'll reserve judgement until after Saturday.

Winning titles and headlining events for Cage Warriors is one thing, but doing it for the UFC, straight from the prelims, adds multiple layers of pressure to the Irishman. If anyone can deal with that added pressure it is McGregor, who's certainly not lacking in the confidence department. He splits opinion, and for fans, you either absolutely love him or you hate him with a vengeance.

Diego Brandao's best chance is to go for broke straight from the start, and look to overpower McGregor before he has had a chance to find his bearings. As soon as McGregor settles into any kind of range and tempo, the Brazilian won't stand a chance especially with the crowd behind him. I expect Brandao to put McGregor in a couple of tricky spots but the Irishman will ultimately prevail and win by TKO early in round two.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I don't think he lives up to the hype, but that's because the hype is so high. The UFC is acting like he's the second coming of Anderson Silva, and it's unrealistic and unfair to put those kinds of expectations on a guy. I think McGregor will do very well in this fight; I'm picking him to win, but the only way he can live up to the hype is to go out there and smash Brandao in about 20 seconds. I'm not going to expect him to do that, so I think he doesn't live up to the hype on a technicality.

I think he'll look good, but he's not getting a title shot after this fight no matter how he wins. He can stow that notion in the junk drawer. He's out of his mind if he actually believes that. He's not jumping over Cub Swanson, Frankie Edgar, or any of the guys who have recently lost title fights with a win here. There's no way that's happening.


KALE HAVERVOLD, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think McGregor will win, but I don't think it's possible for him to live up to the hype. If he literally sprouts wings and ascends to heaven as an angel, he will not live up to the hype that many have put on him. And about McGregor, I simply do not at this point see what the big deal is; he's beaten Marcus Brimage and Max Holloway, and is now being touted as the second coming of Christ. I hope Brandao can go out there and derail the hype train, but I doubt it.


JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I'm not sure it's even possible for McGregor to do enough in the cage to make the manufactured hype justified at this point. There's a ton of talent there, no question, but he's been pushed as if he's an unquestionable superstar already when that's just not true on a wide scale. He'll get a big ovation in the O2 today, just as he received from the Boston crowd last August, but even if he beats Diego Brandao badly, he's just beaten Diego Brandao badly. Wins over Marcus Brimage, Max Holloway, and Brandao does not a superstar make.

Now, if a win here gets him a top ten opponent or higher, someone like Dustin Poirier, or Ricardo Lamas, or Frankie Edgar, and McGregor pulls off something similar to the Brimage fight, that's when you can start rolling with the way he's been pushed. But he's far from that spot at this point, and they're simply in one of the only locations today in which they can headline a card with him. He may well prove out to be a title worthy competitor, but the hype thus far has been over the top.