Fabricio Werdum would have slapped or thrown a chair at Conor McGregor at UFC 197 presser

LOS ANGELES – It’s a good thing UFC heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum wasn’t sitting opposite featherweight champ Conor McGregor at a recent press conference for UFC 197.

Werdum was none too pleased with McGregor’s (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) behavior toward his longtime training partner, UFC light heavyweight champ Rafael dos Anjos (25-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC), and said he would have taken physical exception if the same thing had been done to him.

McGregor repeatedly interrupted the Brazilian dos Anjos while questioning his national loyalty. No blows were thrown, but the two engaged in an intense staredown.

“When the guys had a question for Rafael, (Conor) talked at the same time – this is not good,” Werdum (20-5-1 MMA, 8-2 UFC) said today during a Q&A in support of his upcoming title defense against Cain Velasquez (13-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) at UFC 196. “I’m there, (and) the guy did this, I would grab the water or the juice and (throw it at him), 100 percent, or I would say hey (and slapped him) and said, ‘Hey, be quiet.’”

Obviously that’s not what happened at Wednesday’s press conference, which led many to conclude McGregor had won the first round of a mental battle against dos Anjos, who will attempt to derail the Irish champ’s campaign to capture two and perhaps even three UFC belts.

An intense staredown was about as close as the featherweight and lightweight champs came to a confrontation. But Werdum might not have been so restrained.

“It’s a different personality,” he said. “Rafael is very smart guy; he controls himself. He just thinks of the fight. But at a weigh-in, if a guy touches me, this is very bad. I don’t like this. It’s very important (to show) respect. You have your space, I have my space. We have a fight tomorrow – why do you touch me?

“I saw Conor McGregor touch Jose Aldo’s head, and this is not good, because this is fighting. If this guy touches me, maybe I have a chair in my hand.”

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