Hatred is different from jealousy and Dominick Cruz believes that should be made clear before claims are made about Conor McGregor being hated by the UFC roster.
Last week Donald Cerrone made headlines when he announced that ‘The Notorious’ was disliked “by all” fighters.
“He’s not one of the fellas, he’s not a good dude,” Cerrone said in the Sports Illustrated interview. “It is what it is. He does a good job promoting the sport, he does a good job of making money so I can’t hate the guy for that but just as a person he ain’t a fan of mine.”
While it’s impossible to accurately measure likeability, UFC’s bantamweight champion Cruz doesn’t necessarily agree with the assertion that anybody dislikes the Irishman as a person.
“I don’t have a factual basis that everybody in the UFC hates the guy,” Cruz told TMZ Sports. “I think what they’re upset at is how much money he made and so quickly, on his own, and the way the UFC kind of favours him on all these matters.
“But that doesn’t make me hate him. That makes me try to understand the situation and make a better situation for myself. You have to play the cards the way they’re given and I wasn’t given the same cards as him so I’ve to use what I’ve been given to grow at that.”
McGregor’s meteoric rise to the pinnacle of mixed martial arts has been unprecedented and it could be argued that he’s the biggest superstar to ever compete in the UFC.
But Cruz, who has campaigned for a super-fight with the polarising featherweight champion, wouldn’t recommend fighters attempt to copy his fight-hyping ways.
“You don’t model yourself after him. You be yourself and just understand that you can’t choose who goes viral and who becomes a superstar or not. That is out of fighters’ control,” Cruz added.
“That’s a mixture of the motor or the business and the company of the UFC pushing you while you push your own brand at the same time.
“And you have to have a viral personality. He happens to have that. He’s got the accent and he’s got a certain personality that he portrays himself as on camera and that’s fine. That’s how it’s working for him. That doesn’t mean everybody needs to do that but you also can’t hate the guy for it because, in my opinion, I choose not to dislike or hate the people that are making that kind of money because they’re doing something different.
“It’s a choice and, to me, hating somebody or being bitter at them for making more money than me is only going to hold me back from doing what I want to do personally.
“So I’m just going to give him a pat on the back and say ‘Keep going. I see how you understand the game, McGregor, but just understand that I understand just as good and better.'”
