Cotto v Canelo: The big fight that will live up to the hype

Sunday’s fight between Miguel Cotto (40-4-0) and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (47-1-1) is what boxing is all about.

Two of the best fighters in the world clashing in a fight mostly devoid of the usual politics that comes along with the sport.

Boxing generally has a habit of getting in its own way and we saw an example of that this week, with Cotto stripped of the WBC Middleweight Title for failing to pay $300,000 in sanctioning fees.  

Canelo can still claim the title should he win the fight, but the lack of the WBC strap doesn’t take the shine off this fight whatsoever.

With the Mayweather-Pacquiao sideshow almost gone, Cotto and Canelo have stepped up in their absence.

The only fight in boxing today that is bigger is probably Gennady Golovkin against the winner, that’s if Cotto and Canelo actually have interest in fighting him.

Had you sold me a Cotto-Alvarez fight three years ago, it would have looked very different.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was the next king of boxing, whilst Miguel Cotto was slowly losing the race against father time, seemingly destined to embark on a career trajectory similar to Mosley, Maragrito and Co.

But strangely in the last two years, the tables have turned.

Miguel Cotto has sparked new life into his career, in a new division, whilst Canelo has still yet to really show he is capable of carrying boxing’s crown, with the doubters growing all the time.

It all looked so promising for Canelo. As a 23-year-old he was undefeated in 44 career fights, and landed the biggest prize in the game, a shot at Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. 

The Mayweather fight came a little too soon for Canelo. He was fed to the wolves in a way.

Mayweather was running out of options to fight and Canelo was next in line. Golden Boy (Canelo’s promotional company) accepted the risk, knowing that if Canelo did pull off a victory, well they’d have the goose with the golden egg.

But of course we now know that Canelo wasn’t good enough to beat Mayweather and in fact the fight showed he probably wasn’t ready for it either.

The fight left you feeling that Canelo was still morphing from potential star to superstar and left you thinking, ‘what a fighter he’ll be in a few years time’.

But here we are now a few years down the line and in my opinion Canelo still hasn’t become that fighter, yet. There’s no denying he is a star, but he’s yet to become the star he was touted to be.

His fight with Miguel Cotto could be that coming out party, and there’s big pressure on the Mexican fighter to ensure it is.   

Canelo has had 47 fights, but he doesn’t fight like someone with that many rounds under his belt. Looking at his record, he’s only really had a few high profile fights. Cotto on the other hand has toiled at the elite level for years.

Canelo fought Shane Mosley back in 2012, when it is safe to say Mosley had seen better days. Austin Trout was an up and comer, but Canelo showed he was in a different class. The loss to Mayweather followed, and since then it’s been a rebuild of the Alvarez brand.

Sure, Erislandy Lara and James Kirkland are no pushovers, but they are not Miguel Cotto.

Cotto on the other hand has been in the ring with everyone. Mosley, Margarito, Pacquiao, Mayorga, Mayweather, Trout and Martinez.

It is this experience that his trainer Freddie Roach says will be the difference, and I tend to agree.

Cotto has been in wars. He’s had to dig deep and find something within himself in the championship rounds. We can’t yet say the same for Canelo.

Of Cotto’s four career losses, two have been to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the third was to Antonio Margarito, who was later found to be using loaded gloves.

The loss to Austin Trout was a major shock and led to Cotto linking with Roach at the Wildcard Gym.  That decision has revived the Puerto Rican fighter.

This most recent incarnation of Cotto is some fighter. Moving up a division* has reinvigorated the 35-year-old.

He is back to his destructive best, with three stoppage wins in his last three fights.

Some will punch holes in those fights. Delvin Rodriguez and Daniel Geale aren’t elite level fighters, whilst Sergio Martinez was not as his best, with injury playing his part.

But Cotto can only beat what’s in front of him and he has done so in devastating fashion.

Freddie Roach’s training has seen Cotto resemble the killer of the late 2000’s with the famed punching power back.

Floyd Mayweather came out recently and said Cotto was the only fighter to ever hurt him. If Cotto brings the intense style he has shown in the last three fights, I don’t think Canelo can handle it.

One thing that can be guaranteed is that Cotto-Canelo will live up to the hype. Both fighters bring action, both won't die wondering.

It's must see on Sunday.  

PREDICTION: I think Cotto wins. I just haven’t seen Canelo go to that next level. Some betting companies in Australia have Cotto at $8.80 to win via TKO, its handy odds!

Miguel Cotto v Saul Alvarez, Sunday 1pm AEST on MAIN EVENT PPV

10 years on: The night that changed Australian football

November 16, 2005.

What a night! It is one I will never forget for as long as I live.

I was one of the lucky few to be inside ANZ Stadium that evening and it remains my greatest sporting moment.

I’ve been lucky enough to witness some special sporting events. I’ve been to World Cups, NRL and AFL Finals, I’ve witnessed English Premier League games, Asian Cup finals, big Boxing and UFC fights, but frankly nothing comes close.

In 2005 I was just 18 years of age, only a few months out of high school and working part-time at Target whilst taking the first steps in my media career.

Tickets to the match took a fair chunk out of my minimal wages, but looking back now, they are priceless. Even being part of the ‘football family’, I could only manage to secure seats most commonly known as ‘nosebleed’, in fact, they were literally three rows from the highest point of ANZ Stadium.

The seats were so bad my father, with whom I’ve experienced all my previous Socceroo heartache decided not to attend, he said he would watch from home.

I asked him as I was writing this article whether he regrets that decision. He tells me he doesn’t, but I say secretly it’s one he has regretted ever since.

Instead I attended the game with two of my best mates, and it is a memory we will have for life.

I took a piece of my father with me to the game, as I was wearing his old Socceroo jersey, you know that finger painting design from the early 1980’s that is considered the worst of all-time!

As soon as we found our seats, you could tell this night was going to be very different. The crowd was in full voice already and we were still a fair way from kick-off.

‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole....Aussie, Aussie” rang around the stadium.

This was a different crowd than I’d ever experienced before at a Socceroo match, and trust me I’d been to a few before 2005.

My first memory of World Cup heartbreak was 1993. I was still very young, but I remember the buzz around Maradona and Argentina coming to the SFS.

We were heroic home and away, but just fell short after a gallant performance in the return leg in Buenos Aries.

Iran 1997. That’s another night I will never forget. We we’re off to France 98 and then we weren’t. We were so dominant in that first half hour; it could have been 5-0. It would end 2-2

Kharim Bagheri and Khodadad Azizi. The two Iranian goal scorers. It’s a trivia question I will know the answer to for life.

I remember 2001 at the MCG. Paul Agostino winning a penalty and Kevin Muscat making it 1-0.

A week later, I was late for school, watching Uruguay do us 3-0 in Montevideo.

But something about 2005 was different.

The evidence of that was during the national anthem, where the Australian crowd booed the Uruguayan anthem.

Some said booing the anthem was wrong and unsporting. I loved it.

Now, booing the opposing nations anthem happens a lot in football, in fact the Uruguayan fans did exactly the same to the Australian anthem in the first leg in Montevideo.

Oh, and they even spat at the Socceroos at the airport and tormented the players at the hotel by tooting their horns and letting off sirens as they slept.

Booing the anthem was a substantial shift by an Australian crowd. We were no longer going to sit back and take it. It showed we were up for the fight as well, and I’m sure the players got a kick out of it too.

The most memorable aspect of the game was of course the fact Harry Kewell was left on the bench by Guus Hiddink. Kewell would of course enter the game for Tony Popovic after about 30 minutes, and given Kewell’s pass/miss kick set up Mark Bresciano for the opening goal, it is seen as a master stroke.

Hiddink was arguably the biggest difference in the Socceroos of 2005. He gave them belief and we stood taller with the Dutchman behind us. John O’Neill’s time in football was relatively short, but his move to land Hiddink is probably the single biggest coup in Australian football history.

Thinking back now and trying to reflect on moments in the game, much of the 90 minutes is a blur of nervous energy. Uruguay having won the first leg 1-0 only needed a goal and they’d go through, and I remember Alvaro Recoba going really close with a long range chip. Other than that most of the game was watched through my hands.

The penalty shootout remains vivid though and those saves of Mark Schwarzer’s are some of the best you will ever see.

I remember my Dad telling me stories of Jimmy Mackay’s goal that got the Socceroos to the 1974 World Cup and I imagine telling my own children one day of Schwarzer’s heroics.

We were nearly there.

Only for Mark Viduka to spray his penalty wide. VIDUKA!! Our captain on the night and one of our greatest ever exports.  

But Schwarzer would save the day again, and what a save! 

We obviously all know that John Aloisi would put Australia into its first World Cup finals in 32 years, burying his penalty with aplomb.

He’s probably thankful Viduka missed the penalty in a way, as with all due respect, he’d probably not quite be as iconic as he is now, and I’m sure ‘that penalty’ has brought in the odd endorsement or two.

In the stadium, the moment that Aloisi’s penalty hit the back of the net, it was delirium. I remember jumping all over my mates, hugging a random stranger next to me and signing ‘Land Down Under’ several times.

That night would see us go on a magical ride with the Socceroos throughout the 2006 World Cup which would show us more memorable moments, and feats we’ve yet to see repeated in South Africa 2010 or Brazil 2014.  

But that moment in 2005 is special for a bigger reason.

I’ve been a football fan all my life. I was born into a love of the game, passed down by my father. I was in Italy for the 1990 World Cup and remember cheering on Italy all the way to the final in 1994. My idol as a kid was Roberto Baggio (don’t mention the penalty).

Sure, I always cheered on Australia, but moments of cheer were few and far between. Even when we’d beat the likes of Fiji, New Caledonia and American Samoa.

I’d followed the NSL, as a Marconi supporter, and witnessed Grand Finals with less than 10,000 people. I saw some great times, but there were a lot of the bad times as well.

I often wonder where the game would be now had we not suffered the heartache of 1997 and gone to the World Cup in France. 

I was told a story recently where the Socceroos apparently had to break in to St George Stadium in Sydney to train before the 1997 World Cup qualifiers, as Soccer Australia couldn’t afford to lease a ground. The precinct was in that bad a condition that the bus driver refused to drop the players at the main gate, forcing them to walk. 

Seeing the rise of football since ‘that night’ in 2005, we’ve come a long way.

The A-League has its issues, but it’s still early days. The Socceroos are on the way up again and junior participation continues to rise, particularly through the women’s game.

One night ten years ago changed everything.

It is a night that will be with me forever, the night Australia finally opened their hearts to football. 

Ronda Rousey rocked by perfect Holm

Copyright: Zuffa 

Holly Holm is the new UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion courtesy of her team developing the perfect game plan, and it started long before she entered the Octagon.

The ploy was to make Ronda Rousey fight the fight Holly Holm wanted, and not the one that best matched her strengths.

For a long time Rousey hasn’t felt like she has been receiving the plaudits for her boxing skills, with many people seeing her as someone who wins fights solely on the basis of her judo ability.

The Holm fight was her chance to show she wasn’t a one trick pony.

But having an ego like Rousey’s can be a dangerous thing and it came back to bite her at UFC 193.

The execution of the Holm plan was evident at the weigh-in, from Rousey’s charge across the stage to Holly, along with a clearly agitated post weigh-in  interview with Joe Rogan.

Ronda was clearly rattled.

That’s exactly what the Holm camp wanted. 

They didn’t want a calm and methodical Rousey, one that would wear down Holm, eventually getting on the inside, taking her down and finding a way to finish.

They wanted a seriously pissed off Rousey. 

One that would ensure the fight would be a stand-up fight. One whose ego wanted to show she could out box a 19-time Boxing champion. 

They wanted one with a chip on her shoulder, and it was the one they got.   

Ronda Rousey has blown through opponents in recent times. Her last three fights prior to UFC 193 lasted all of a 90 seconds. She wanted to do the same to Holly Holm, in fact, she had to, and it has almost become the Rousey gimmick.

But for an established fighter like Holm, a relentlessly come forward fighter like Rousey is gold. 

Their chin is easy to find.

Rousey has gone through countless opponents because they have done the same.

But Holm was smarter.

 She used the distance, fought at range, catching Rousey as she rushed forward time and time again. With every punch, life drained out of the UFC star, then a sweetly timed kick knocked Rousey to the canvas and the damage was done.

The poster child of the UFC was downed and we had a new Bantamweight champion, and the world was stunned.

Whilst Rousey has quickly made herself a Superstar, there’s been some who have questioned her climb.

Some said she was one of the greatest fighters we will ever see, others questioned the quality of fighter put in front of her.

After her most recent win over Bethe Correira in Brazil, many said the UFC had simply run out of dance partners for the American.  

Every great champion is defined by their greatest adversaries – Ali had Frazier and Foreman, Mayweather had Pacquiao and others, Ronda Rousey now has hers in Holly Holm. 

You sense Rousey’s story is still to be written, with her legacy being defined by her time spent inside the Octagon with the new Bantamweight champion.

Dana White said in the UFC 193 post fight press conference that an immediate rematch makes sense.  

The rematch books itself, and it will do incredible business.

 As much as Dana White may have cringed post fight at his mega star coming unstuck, the UFC will most likely make more money as a consequence.

Ronda Rousey will be back and Holm will take some beating. But already everyone is licking their lips at a rematch.

Champions are made by the setbacks they endure.

The perfect plan that foiled Rousey in Melbourne will not work again.

Rousey will lick her wounds and every waiting second between now and the rematch, Ronda will plot her revenge. 

The ego has been checked. There’s nothing more humbling for a fighter than recognising their own mortality. But for the greats, such an experience steels them.

This setback may just take Rousey to the next level.

 She’s a global star now, but a rematch with Holly Holm will certainly lift her profile and the entire Women’s Mixed Martial Arts scene to a higher place.

Should she beat Holly Holm, it would only heighten the demand for a super fight with Cyborg, which was apparently in the works, had she, as expected walked out of Melbourne victorious.

But for now tears are being shed. Holm’s are celebratory, Rousey’s are in defeat.

It’s back to the drawing board for both.  

Now we see just how good Ronda Rousey really is. 

Mundine v Green: Sliding Doors

Despite the fact that the continued debate around an Anthony Mundine-Danny Green rematch makes boxing purists in Australia cringe, the clash is still the biggest fight in the country.

It will happen eventually, and it’s what I’ve been saying ever since they squared off last time.

The rematch is a money fight. It captures the public’s interest, and it will do good business for all involved. 

Whether it goes above and beyond the first encounter, it’s hard to say, but given the experience of Mundine-Green in selling a fight, they’ll make enough noise to fill the seats.

When the fight will happen is the biggest unknown. It could happen as soon as early 2016 or it could be this time next year. 

It’s a true case of sliding doors, with one fighter’s movements directly affecting the other, and crucially in the sport of boxing, timing is everything.

In terms of how the fight will go – I still think Anthony Mundine is the winner. He’s just a better fighter, as was shown in the first fight.

That’s not to be disrespectful to Danny Green, because I think he has a better chance of winning the rematch than he ever did in the initial encounter.

Weight is the biggest obstacle to overcome. Mundine is currently fighting as a Junior Middleweight and Green is several weight classes away at Cruiserweight.

The light-heavyweight mark, or at least a catch weight around that territory, is the likely outcome the fighters will arrive at.

Green hasn’t seemed interested in getting near that mark mind you in his most recent comeback, and if he wants to place pressure on Mundine and seize control in their continued PR battle, hitting the light-heavyweight limit would be a good start.

Obviously Green will want to fight as heavy as possible, given the added weight favours him. He’s a bigger puncher and has the bigger frame, but it’s not the only way he’ll benefit.

The higher the weight class, the more Mundine will lose in speed - his biggest asset - as a consequence of carrying more. Sure he’ll probably bring increased punching power, going up in weight, but when was the last time The Man knocked someone out.

I also think Danny Green has become a better boxer since moving from the Super Middleweight division.

He was known for his come forward approach, and he would just go through guys - case in point, his first fight with Markus Beyer.

But moving up the weights, he didn’t have the advantage in power or size anymore. This has meant he’s had to pick his shots, go to the outside increasingly and he's become a better boxer and more rounded. 

His fight with Krystof Wlodarczyk is the best example of that, despite the way it ended.  

So I really think the pair are more closely matched now as fighters than they were in the first fight.

Anthony Mundine fights Charles Hatley on November 11, whilst Danny Green fights Konni Konrad on December 2.

If Mundine loses to Hatley, I think the next fight he signs is the Green rematch.

But the big fight that the Mundine camp will have their eye on will be the highly anticipated clash between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez on November 22.

The Mundine camp are no doubt eyeing off the loser, with the winner likely to move on to either a mega fight with Gennady Golovkin or the ‘retired’ Floyd Mayweather.

Mundine’s camp has also said they’d be willing to jump in with Golovkin, as ridiculous as that sounds. But if Daniel Geale can score a fight with Golovkin, there’s no reason Mundine can’t deal his way into an opportunity.

Golovkin could even use such a fight to test the waters in the junior middleweight ranks, with the likelihood of both Cotto and Canelo making him come down in weight to face them. The Golovkin camp would see Mundine as a name fighter, who to them doesn’t really bring considerable risk at upsetting future plans.

*Cotto-Canelo fighting for Middleweight title, but will fight closer to Junior Middleweight as contracted. 

Many see hand speed and slickness as to the Golovkin kryptonite, and maybe that’s where Mundine fancies his chances. But I think people are mad to underestimate Golovkin’s boxing ability. Eastern European fighters are skilled in the fundamental elements of boxing – a good jab and tight defence – it’s why they are great Amateurs.

 Golovkin has superb head movement and when he makes you miss, he truly makes you pay.

So there are some potential options for Mundine, depending on how other fights go around him, but there are also cards for Danny Green to play.

I think Green is picking opponents to test himself, but not hamper his marketability.

Domestically he’s not short of people calling him out. Whilst there are some tasty fights there, Green knows a loss will hurt the appeal of the Mundine fight. So he’s not taking the risk, given the financial reward will be much less.

A potential fight with Sakio Bika would be worth watching, but that would only be a possibility if Mundine continued to drag his heels well into next year.

Interestingly though for Green, Roy Jones announced he’ll fight for the WBA Super World Cruiserweight Title against Enzo Maccarinelli in Moscow on December 12.

There’s money in a Jones-Green rematch and if it’s for a ‘World Title’, it’s even easier to sell. Roy Jones just may want some redemption after his KO defeat to Green back in 2009. It could soon loom on the radar, if the cards fall a particular way.

Mundine and Green will fight before they hang up the gloves, there’s no question of that. When it happens, well there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge yet.

It could all change at any moment. If you’re one of those people that wishes the column inches devoted to the match up would just end, well strap yourself in, because it’s only going to ramp up in the coming months.

Some will say it's time to move on, others will say it's time to throw down. 

Whatever our opinion, we'll all be watching, whether we like it or not. 

ADAM SANTAROSSA

Why Jarryd Hayne cant be replicated

Jarryd Hayne stands alone. 

The media in the last few weeks has been awash with articles wondering who will be the next Rugby League star to make the jump to the NFL.

Swarms of NFL talent scouts are reportedly on their way to our shores to rip our talent away.

But just who will be the next man to don the helmet and shoulder pads you ask? 

The answer - Nobody.

That’s not to say our NRL stars don’t have the physical attributes to make the grade, but it’s the intangibles that make the difference.

Jarryd Hayne is a rare breed, for a variety of reasons.    

Having worked with professional players at high profile sporting organisations I was constantly baffled at how they see their careers.

No one really cares about their legacy. At the end of the day it’s about how much they can make from their careers and everything else is a bonus from there.

That’s the nature of the beast and in a way you understand it. Professional sport stars are assets who depreciate over time and it’s about maximising return in a small window.

They play a highly physical sport that replicates a car crash multiple times each game day. With every week, miles come off the clock, and with some, as we’ve seen recently; careers can vanish in a heartbeat.

I understand the need for financial security to be important, but sometimes you wish ambition was higher on the agenda.

Ambition is what has fuelled Hayne’s quest for an NFL dream. Sure he has come from a solid financial base, he’s made good money in his NRL career so far, but it can be argued that he’s left just when he was really ready to cash in.

Not to mention the fact that he turned his back on more common destinations beyond the NRL, such as Japanese or European Rugby, which present higher financial returns than the NRL and at considerably less risk than the National Football League.

Hayne had an ambition to leave a legacy, something he wasn’t prepared to trade for money and that is unique.

He’s on a guaranteed contract of just $100,000, which will become around $400,000 should he make the San Francisco 49ers 53 man roster.

It’s expected his income will jump considerably through endorsements if and when he makes the final roster, given the NFL doesn’t have limitations on third party sponsors like the NRL, but his income, at least initially, still wont dwarf his NRL contract.

It’s a significant risk to lay it all on the line, with the odds firmly stacked against you.

There are plenty of hurdles to jump in the NFL before you’re even on parity with what you’re already making in the NRL. It’s quite apt that Jarryd Hayne was a champion hurdler in his youth, because he’s made the task look easy.

He doesn’t fear the big occasion, in fact he lives for it. Professional sport stars fall in one of two categories. Some react to pressure like ‘deer in the headlights’, others aren’t fazed by anything.

All the greats have that special something which blurs the line between confidence and arrogance - Ronaldo, LeBron, Jordan prime examples.

All have a cocky swagger and a self belief that tells them ‘nobody is better’.

Jarryd Hayne is that player and you can change the posts, the uniform, the rules and the shape of the football, but he’ll still find a way to compete and succeed.

We saw that on his State of Origin debut or in his youth at the Parramatta Eels when he was thrown into a one-on-one session with World Champion boxer Danny Green to ‘test his character’.

In all conquests Hayne showed no fear and it’s that approach that has won him so many admirers so far on his NFL journey.

As someone who worked closely with Israel Folau during his stint with the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS, I’ve witnessed a great athlete try to learn a new sport.

Folau is a special athlete, the rarest breed. But he did not have a passion for AFL. Israel worked hard, he wanted to succeed, but deep down it just wasn’t in him.

Jarryd Hayne has a love for the NFL. He immersed himself in the game long before he made the decision to make it his occupation. Whether that was watching every game of every round, playing Madden on XBOX, forming a friendship with Reggie Bush or having secret training sessions with UTS – he made it his life.

No one else in the NRL would be willing to take the risk Jarryd Hayne has.

They are too financially secure, they lack the self belief, they lack a true passion for the game or they simply let fear get in the way.

Jarryd Hayne is a one of a kind specimen. Forged in working class roots, with assets you cannot teach or replicate.

Will another talent of similar ilk emerge from the Rugby League world?

I would say it is highly unlikely.  

The Hayne Plane will fly the flag alone, quite simply because he is the only one who can.

ADAM SANTAROSSA

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Conor McGregor carries the weight of expectation into UFC 189

Conor McGregor is a polarizing figure. You either love him or you hate him.

Whatever your opinion, you can’t deny the showman/businessman he has become in the UFC, and in record time.

He’ll main event UFC 189 this weekend alongside Chad Mendes, where he’ll aim for the UFC Featherweight Title or the crown of the ‘McGregor Division as he describes it.

Not only is it the first pay-per-view that McGregor will carry as the main event, but it’s his first shot at a UFC title, all in a little over two years since he joined the Zuffa owned organisation.

Simply remarkable.

What’s even more remarkable is the man he was looking to dethrone, Jose Aldo, hadn’t lost in nine years, yet all everyone was talking about was Conor McGregor. 

McGregor has become a star in a time when the UFC is clearly lacking them.

One of their greatest ever, Georges St Pierre, is currently in retirement. He’s known for his incredible ability inside the Octagon, but away from it, he’s softly spoken, humble and respectful.

Anderson Silva was another star. But he’s currently disgraced after testing positive to performance enhancing drugs and is on the shelf for the time being.

Jon Jones is facing similar problems. He has significant legal issues following a hit and run accident earlier this year, not to mention a positive test for cocaine, just weeks prior.

He seems to have embraced the villain in recent times. His cocky swagger has fans mixed and after playing the ‘bad guy’ in his showdown with Daniel Cormier, he seems to have enjoyed the part.

Look through the current champions and most lack charisma.

Fabricio Werdum, Chris Weidman, Robbie Lawler, Rafael Dos Anjos, TJ Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson are all household names to MMA fans, but I’d argue none have crossover appeal. 

Ronda Rousey is arguably the promotions biggest star at the moment, but how long can the UFC bank on that.

Rousey’s stardom only continues to rise and already it’s led to movie roles, WWE guest appearances and Sports Illustrated shoots. But with Rousey so dominant and with future opponents thinning with every fight, how long will she stick around?

Conor McGregor is not yet a blue chip stock the company can invest in, he’s a rough diamond.

He’s worth a lot, but for how long is what needs to be determined.

We know now he can sell a big fight, but can he win one.

McGregor’s style looks carved from the Chael Sonnen playbook, with Sonnen the trailblazer of fight promotion. 

But let’s hope when he reaches the chapter on winning big fights, McGregor stops reading said playbook.

Because whilst Sonnen was known for landing big fights, he didn’t win many. 

There’s no denying McGregor’s star power and companies are already lining up to take their slice.

He’s one of six UFC Fighters to have a Reebok deal and there’s more on the way.

But a UFC fighter’s real business is what he does in the Octagon. Talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words. 

To be fair, McGregor has matched the talk up until now, but Chad Mendes is another story.

Jose Aldo was officially removed from their UFC 189 main event last week, throwing number two ranked featherweight, Mendes a title fight on short notice.

McGregor had been all over the world disrespecting Aldo, creating huge buzz and becoming an internet sensation in the process.

He hasn’t wasted any time bringing a similar campaign together for Mendes.

But whilst this manner of promotion may line his pockets, it also makes his life in the Octagon much harder, with a severely pissed off Mendes not his only concern.

The talk brings pressure and the expectation that he will deliver. 

Pressure from sponsors that want him to justify their dollars in him, pressure from the UFC for hitching their tail to his wagon and pressure from fans that it isn’t all hype and their $50 is money well spent.

The UFC has big plans for the Irishman too. Dana White recently confirmed that the 82,000 seat Croke Park was being looked at as a potential venue for McGregor’s first title defence.

Sure, he has to win the title first, but you can’t fault the UFC for having ambition on a grand scale.

 The UFC 189 card is expected to do the biggest gate in UFC history, with McGregor also claiming it will set records on pay-per-view.

That was before Aldo’s withdrawal, but although the buyrate will take a hit, the number should still be impressive as McGregor is still fighting, and that’s what most people will be paying to see.

The world is his oyster at the moment and he’s the hottest fighter on the planet, with top status in the UFC his for the taking.

All he has to do is beat Chad Mendes.

We already know that Conor McGregor is special. Just how special remains to be seen. 

We’ve heard him talk about it, now he needs to prove it in the biggest fight of his life, with everything to lose. 

Started from the bottom now we're here...

A Year 12 student recently asked me for advice on how to ‘make it’ in the media game, and to be honest I didn't really know what to say.

I mean, have I really ‘made it’? Am I really in a position to hand out advice?

I thought about my own aspirations when I was the same age, where a career in media was just a dream and a severely farfetched one at that.

I was an average student, with average grades, who was excelling in the few I enjoyed and squeaking by in the ones I didn't.

I was a kid with ADHD that everyone was worried about, so much that they had wanted me to repeat a grade in primary school. It’s ironic that I sit here now having just about completed my second university degree.

At the time my future plans weren't exactly settled upon. I’d spent most of my years trying to make it as a professional sports star, but now 17 years old, I knew that wasn't going to happen.

I needed to think of something else.

What I did know was that ‘something else’ would involve sport.

It was always what I knew and what I was good at.

I used to commentate as I played out my sporting dreams in the backyard as a kid, thinking no one could hear me.

I’d stop if anyone came outside. But everyone could hear, neighbours and family.

Once I was caught by a guy I went to school with who lived up the street. I was pretending to be Australian Motorcycle champ Mick Doohan on my bicycle, *commentating a fake 500cc grand prix, even making the sound of a motorbike engine with my mouth in the process.

Yes, I was a weird kid.

*That skill now pays my bills.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do and sports journalism became my new dream.

One day my Biology teacher asked me what I was going to do when I left school, following another poor result on a test.

“I want to be a journalist”, I replied.

Without haste he laughed, then asked if I knew how hard that was going to be, telling me I was no chance of the marks needed for university, before offering a sarcastic ‘good luck’.

That moment has been burnt it my brain ever since. In fact it has fueled me over the years.

To be fair, he wasn't the last to tell me I was kidding myself, wasn't good enough or was wasting my time.

Thinking back on this helped me settle on my advice for our dreamy Year 12 student.

I wanted to tell him about all the doubts, the lonely times, the let downs and the people that just wont get what you’re trying to achieve. I wanted to shake him and scream ‘Get out whilst you still can’.

But instead I offered the only advice I felt I could.

“Don't let anyone tell you it cant happen. Because if you believe you can make it, that is all that matters,” I said.

The student looked at me, as if to say – That’s it?

But it's a piece of advice he’ll come to understand more with time, depending on how far down the line he goes.

These days its a motto I live by.

I’ve found my journey in media to be a lonely one, in that, sometimes I think I’m the only one that truly believes I can reach my goals.

I’ve had friends and family question my ambition, particularly in the first five years where I earned the grand total of $0 for my efforts.

I was working hard, hosting community radio shows on weekends, commentating on sport, writing articles and trying to land a break somewhere. All the while working full-time as a Bank Teller Monday-Friday.

‘The Dream’ would actually cost me in the early years. Either through money in trains fares, lost friendships, girlfriends, you name it.

It's hard explaining to your partner that you can’t go out on a Saturday night because you have to call a football game for free, or telling your mates you cant attend a 21^st because you have to host a radio show that roughly eight people regularly listen too.

But I knew that one day the hard work would pay off.

One day someone would look at my resume and see that it was no match for the next best candidate.

Today, that ambition has truly become my life, in that, it is all I have. Some might consider it unhealthy, but my work in the media is everything.

Its my job, my hobby, it consumes every minute of my day in some aspect.

I work in three roles – as a journalist with the Newcastle Herald, Commentator for Football NSW and Gameday Presenter with the Wests Tigers, with some freelance stuff thrown in for good measure.

It's taxing and I regularly work between 6-7 days a week. There’s times when I’ve worked at all three roles in a 24-hour period, madly racing between Newcastle-Sydney-Newcastle.

Did I mention I'm about to finish another university degree also!

I’m 28 and single, and for now I’m married to my dream of one day making it to the very top.

It’s a frustrating journey sometimes, particularly when you see people given opportunities for things other than their sporting knowledge. But I remain hopeful that one day this rough head will be given a fair crack.

I’ve sought meetings with all the major names in the industry and whilst some have scoffed at my goals, others have patted me on the back, wished me well and tried to steer me in the right direction.

 ‘JUST KEEP GETTING EXPERIENCE’ is the most commonly heard phrase for any ambitious media player and over the past few years that's what I’ve been trying to do.

Koori Radio, 2SSRFM, Blue Pie Productions, Digital Sports, The Roar, SecondsOut, MMA Kanvas, ABC Grandstand, Adidas Man in the Ball, ONE HD,  Network Ten, GWS GIANTS, ESPN, Gold Coast Titans, Wests Tigers and Newcastle Herald – are just a few of the places I’ve plied my trade.

I’ve worked in Radio, TV, Print and Online. I can write, present, announce, panel, shoot, edit, produce, blog, podcast, MC and script.   

I feel I’m ready to go to the next level and that my break is coming. I don't know where or when, but I will not stop until I get it. In a way, I cannot afford to stop. It is all I have.

It takes me back to our Year 12 student who came seeking advice. His final question – ‘What was your goal going in?’

The goal I made as a 17-year-old is the same goal that stands today at 28.

I want to be able to look myself in the eye when it’s all said and done and know that I could not have done anything more.

Whether I reach the top of the pile or have reached as far as I’ll ever climb, I want to have given everything I possibly could have.

As I watched the Year 12 student walk away, with my words still ringing in his ears, I hoped I’d given him some belief in a time when I’m still hoping someone will believe in me.

But more importantly I hope my words give our student the courage to take those first uneasy steps that I took 11 years ago, and I hope he has as much fun as I’ve had along the way.

ADAM SANTAROSSA