McGregor on Mendes and Aldo's alliance: 'Coward s---, is what that is'

Conor McGregor doesn't need to talk any more smack before his UFC 189 interim featherweight title fight against Chad Mendes, but he continues to.

This time, the Irishman criticized the Twitter bromance of Mendes and Jose Aldo. Mendes had tweeted the champion in hopes that he would gain the respect Aldo's fans for the bout against McGregor.

Translated to English, the tweet reads: "When we compete, we compete. But you always have my respect. Not @thenotoriusmma (Conor McGregor)."

Aldo echoed the regard.

McGregor responded by saying he believes Mendes is "crumbling," and that he's perplexed by the two men's brewing camaraderie.

"I just, I see forced. I see a forced persona or something," he told Shaun Al-Shatti of mmafighting.com. "He's just different. And then the little back and forth tweets with Jose, and he's talking in (Portuguese), ‘Can I have your fan support, please,' and all this bull. What is that? That's women shit. That's not even, that's disrespectful to women. I don't know what that is. That's coward shit, is what that is."

Mendes and Aldo have shared memorable bouts in the Octagon throughout their careers, and formed a reverence for one another over that time. McGregor, however, believes there is no place for it within the sport.

"I don't give a shit about respect. I'm here on my own journey. As long as my team respects me, as long as the people in my circle have respect for me and what I'm doing, that's all I focus on," he said.

The SBG Ireland member clearly relishes the animosity towards his opponents ahead of a fight, seemingly using it to nourish his motivation before he enters the battleground. But many times following a clash, fighters will gain esteem for their opponent.

We'll see if McGregor changes his mind on Mendes Saturday night.