Ian McCall has never been shy when speaking to the MMA media. Although he has a pivotal fight with John Lineker coming up at UFC 183, McCall took a potshot at one of MMA’s top gyms.
Speaking with Steph Daniels of Bloody Elbow, McCall addressed his upcoming opponent along with some recent comments made by fellow flyweight Joseph Benavidez:
I've never had a problem with Joe, but apparently, he has something to say. Team Alpha Male are nice guys, but they come off as the douchiest camp, and I've told some of their guys this. They're the douchebag frat guys of MMA. They walk around flexing with their shirts off, bumping chests and just seem like they would be the guys that would try to bang your girlfriend when your back is turned. Good for you, you're the coolest guys in Sacramento.
McCall was responding to Benavidez's comment on Submission Radio that the last thing the UFC flyweight division was a champion nicknamed “Uncle Creepy.” Benavidez and McCall faced one another at UFC 156, with Benavidez picking up an unanimous decision victory.
McCall’s confidence seems to be at an all-time high as he heads into UFC 183. The flyweight contender dismissed his opponent’s skills, saying Lineker is “basic.”
The two were originally paired up at UFC Fight Night 56, but McCall's viral infection forced a last-minute cancellation of the bout. Ahead of this match, Lineker offered to “take it easy” on McCall, a fighter whom the Brazilian believes is nothing more than a "stepping stone."
The McCall-Lineker bout has title implications given how highly ranked both men are. McCall is currently sitting at No. 3 in the UFC flyweight division, while Lineker is ranked at No. 6 in the official UFC rankings.
McCall looks to make it three wins in a row at Lineker’s expense, while the Brazilian bounced back from an ugly loss to Ali Bagautinov to defeat Alptekin Ozkilic last July.
Luckily for UFC fans, this fight is on the preliminary portion of the UFC 183 card, which means this battle of top-10 flyweights can be seen for free on TV. Headlining UFC 183 on Saturday night is the middleweight fight between former middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and a returning Nick Diaz.
