Chad Mendes can be considered arguably the biggest authority when it comes to predicting the winner of Saturday's UFC 194 championship bout between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo.
The American is the only man on the planet to have faced both featherweights in the Octagon, and he's throwing his support behind Aldo this weekend.
Speaking in a Periscope session (h/t Darragh Murphy of JOE.ie), Mendes backed the Brazilian to come out on top: "I don't know if I see anybody getting knocked out, but I think Aldo is going to tear him up!"
Mendes has suffered stoppage defeats to both McGregor and Aldo, losing twice to the latter, while his most recent outing resulted in a knockout at the hands of the former.
It was in that fixture on July 11 that Money was actually filling in as a late replacement for Aldo due to a rib injury he sustained in training, and despite the loss, he believes the South American has more in his locker.
McGregor appeared to be hurt at times in his clash with Mendes, but the Irish figure recently gave an unglamorous account of his last opponent's ability, per mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani:
McGregor says he learned Mendes hits like a b*tch and after fighting him he realizes "these people are not on my level."
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 2, 2015
Saturday's encounter is being built up as one of the biggest fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, with Aldo, undefeated as its featherweight champion, attempting to defend a 10-year winning streak.
It's certainly the biggest collision in the history of the division at least, and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden believes it may be the most heavily promoted date ever:
Seen a lot of fights in my day. I've never seen a promotion this strong. This McGregor vs. Aldo fight is EVERYTHING. Props to Conor #UFC194
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) December 8, 2015
Many have suggested Mendes could give The Notorious a stronger run for his money with a proper training camp under his belt, and it could put him in better shape for future prospects if the Irishman were to succeed.
However, interim champion McGregor wishes to unify the belts in Las Vegas before moving up to claim further titles at lightweight, according to Helwani:
McGregor: I will KO Jose Aldo and I will fight the winner of the lightweight title fight. … Predicts he will be a two-way world champ.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 2, 2015
That pursuit would open the Dubliner up to another raft of risks, but part of McGregor's appeal is that he genuinely appears to see himself as a fighter capable of just about anything.
First and foremost comes Aldo, however, and mere days remain before fans witness one of the most anticipated UFC bouts in history and find out whether McGregor or Mendes is correct in his predictions.
