Conor McGregor claims that Chad Mendes was the only fighter to "put a scratch" on him in his legendary career, despite losing six fights.
The former two-weight world champion had an aggressive outburst in his latest 'tweet and delete' spree last night after being criticised by Henry Cejudo for his training footage. And amid a series of insults being hurled at the former Olympic gold medalist, McGregor also claimed that Mendes, now a bare-knuckle boxer, was the only one to ever put a scratch on his face.
This is despite McGregor having lost by stoppage six times in his MMA career, as well as once in boxing, and having had a bloody war with Nate Diaz at UFC 202. He made the intense claim in a tweet, saying: "Try and hold. I don't care, I'm trying to find nasty shots to end a person here.
"Them elbows are no joke. Nor the upkicks. Everyone's ground and pound is p***. Not a scratch has there ever been on me. Mendes only one. Fair play all the same; bare-knuckle Chad."
Mendes and McGregor fought at UFC 189 in the summer of 2015 for the interim featherweight title. Jose Aldo was supposed to face the Irishman on the pay-per-view event, but their bout was cancelled when he pulled out with a rib injury.
Instead, the renowned wrestler Mendes was drafted in, and he caused McGregor serious problems in the early parts of the fight. His grappling overwhelmed the striker, and at times it looked as if he was about to become the new interim champion.
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However, the short notice nature of the event ended up costing Mendes, and McGregor turned it around to land a second round knockout and win gold for the first time. He would then go on to stop Aldo in their December meeting to become undisputed.
It seems a fanciful claim for McGregor to claim he was left with just one scratch, however, having clearly worn the scars of battle under his eye after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. His win over Nate Diaz at UFC 202, the one time he was taken the five-round distance in his career, also saw McGregor take considerable damage, as well as his UFC 257 KO loss to Dustin Poirier.
McGregor launched his Twitter tirade against Cejudo, but it quickly saw him once again declaring that he will return this year. "You learn so much each time in competition," he added. "It's actually madness. Competition is life! Can't wait to return. 22!"
It remains to be seen when the Irishman will be back competing, as his training progress appears to have stalled for the time being. He has yet to return to full MMA sparring, and only boxed for the first time last month in a brief session with pal Cian Cowley at the Crumlin Boxing Club.
