Collins talks about McGregor’s boxing skills
Paschal Collins, comments on McGregor’s boxing skills, after he beats Max Holloway.
Honestly, I think he will be a phenomenon in Boston. He’s an aggressive fighter, he’s great with his hands and he’s quick with his tongue too – he’s everything that the Americans think an Irishman should be. I was just looking at him the last time he was down here and his eyes were dancing around in his head – he’s a bit of a madman and I suppose you have to be in the fight game. He’s just got that star quality, it’s clear for everyone to see and he deserves it. He works hard, he fights hard and I wish him all the best on Saturday…Conor already had a pedigree in boxing from his early days in Crumlin when he came up to us. It was really his first martial art. It’s been a while since he has been down with us. He was just about to head off to Sweden before I saw him last time, but I’ve always been very impressed by what he can bring to the table. The first time he came up to us was about two years ago, but his development in that period has been unbelievable. His approach is second to none, he’s confident and he has natural power and ability – and that’s priceless in this game. What we can never quite believe is the amount of work he puts in. A lot of times he’d be down to us in the afternoon and he would’ve already been grappling for the whole morning. He comes down here and he can hold his own with world champions like Spike and Stephen, he’s a very capable boxer.
‘Trump can shut his big mouth’
UFC’s McGregor criticizes Trump for his negative tweet about Rousey (he had called her “a bad person”).
It’s easy for someone that’s not in there to comment, but it’s different when you’re in there. The emotions are high. It is what it is. You either want to touch gloves or you don’t. That means nothing, so Donald can shut his big, fat mouth. I don’t give a f-ck about Donald Trump.
Cerrone: McGregor’s a ‘pussy’
Cerrone says he is tired of McGregor’s posturing.
Give me Conor McGregor. I’ll fight that p***y. Other than that, I don’t care. Tell that dude to slow his f-king roll. You can’t be just calling out 170-pounders. So, whatever. Enough of him.
Claims McGregor is avoiding Edgar
Abdelaziz, Edgar’s Manager, says that McGregor is avoiding Edgar.
When history speaks for itself, Frankie Edgar will go down as the guy who fought anyone at any weight, any time, and anywhere. But when history speaks for @thenotoriousmma he was a ufc champion who hand picked his opponents and chose a guys out of shape to fight him and he ducked frankie. Every media member I talked to, a majority of the fans wants to see Edgar vs Mcgregor but Conor’s coaches since he lost to Nate Diaz for every interview they talk about everyone else except for frankie. At this point im blaming the @ufcfor not making this fight happen because I think it’s really up to them and they can make Conor fight frankie. Im done with this. It’s been a miserable last 4 months talking and negotiating getting this fight to happen but now I realize the only person who needs to step up and say he wants to fight frankie is Conor. But I don’t believe he wants to because he and everyone else knows that frankie would whoop his ass. I have 0 respect for a champion who ducks contenders and that’s that
Credits McGregor for UFC chance
Justino credits McGregor for being able to fight in a UFC weight classes, which had a maximum weight of 135. Justino fights at 145, but will drop to 1450 for her upcoming fight against Leslie Smith.
I think [Conor] McGregor opened the door for this. He’s fighting at different weights. He [sold] a lot of pay-per-views and it opened the opportunity. I think the UFC sees the great opportunity and it’s a great time…I’m really happy for the opportunity and I’ll do my best in Curitiba and of course I’ll try for the KO and I’ll do my best…I think it will open the door for me for more fights at 140. Maybe I can fight Miesha [Tate] at 140 and Holly Holm and maybe Ronda [Rousey] when she gets off the pillow.
Silva wants to fight McGregor
Silva says he wants to fight McGregor:
That’s a challenge I would like to do. I’ve never asked to fight anybody, but I would like to test my martial arts skills against Conor McGregor. I would like that and a rematch with Nick Diaz and Michael Bisping. I think McGregor is a great striker, but he didn’t do very well in his last fight because he played into Nate Diaz’s game and that’s really hard. The Diaz brothers have a lot of gas. You have to respect him, the loss to Diaz doesn’t diminish his career at all. These are the fighters I would like to fight. McGregor, Diaz and Bisping because that fight did not end nicely.
UFC 200: McGregor vs Diaz rematch announced
The rematch between McGregor and Diaz is set for July 9, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will take place at 170 pounds, 25 pounds above McGregor’s usual 145-pound fighting weight. Frankie Edgar will fight Jose Aldo for the interim featherweight title.
White: McGregor ‘obsessed’ with rematch
UFC president White says he talked to McGregor after his defeat by Diaz.
After the fight, Lorenzo (Fertitta) and I went up to Conor’s house that he was renting here in Las Vegas and started talking about what are you thinking, what’s next and he was obsessed — obsessed with fighting Nate Diaz again. Obviously, Lorenzo and I tried to argue with him and say ‘let’s go back down to 145 an defend your title’ or if you really want the Diaz fight that bad, do it at 155. He wants the fight at 170. Even his coach, coach (John) Kavanagh tried to get him off this rematch and off the 170 pound fight, but it’s what he wanted…[Nate said] ‘He wants to do it again, let’s do it again’. Nate was obviously up for the fight.
Edgar: McGregor won’t return to featherweight
Edgar says that, due to his non-response to his social media posts and interviews, McGregor is not going to return to featherweight.
He didn’t respond to anything. He’s so quick with his tongue and he didn’t respond to anything I was putting out there talking about the fight so I did feel that he was going to stay up and try to get that rematch with Nate.
However, he says he is happy about his match-up with Jose Aldo for interim featherweight:
I heard speculation that’s what they might want, but nothing concrete and then Dana called me yesterday and asked me. My reaction, I said yes. What the (expletive) am I going to do?…Let’s just call it the No. 1 contender belt cause that’s what it really is. But I’ll play the game. They did it for Conor, they gave him a belt and if I’ve got to play the whole Conor game to make sure I get this fight, I’m OK with it…The title is definitely what I want. If he never comes back down, I end up becoming champion, I’m a two weight class champion — something he’s trying to do. Maybe I’ll just have to chase him up to 170 to make that fight, to make that payday. Especially if I have the belt he never defended, why not? We can defend it at 155 or 170 if it makes him feel better, but honestly the focus needs to be on Aldo so I’m not too worried about Conor right now.
Aldo: McGregor will be shamed
Aldo says he expected McGregor to return to featherweight and fight him, and surprised when the UFC offered him an interim title fight at UFC 200 against Frankie Edgar instead.
You know as an athlete obviously it’s good because I get to fight, but as a fan it sucks. There’s not much I can say but it really doesn’t have any logic behind it. To me it makes no sense really. Because everyone thought he was going to come back and defend his title and now he’s fighting Nate again. It’s a fight that doesn’t get anyone, anywhere. It doesn’t get Conor anywhere. It doesn’t get Nate anywhere. So it really makes no sense, I don’t know what’s going on…I don’t think there’s any way for [the outcome] to be different. We saw what happened last time. Maybe the only difference is that Nate is going to be even better prepared and Conor’s shame is going to be even greater…He needs to come back to featherweight. There’s no way he can just hold onto that belt for a long time.
Diaz sick of McGregor rematch praise
Diaz says he is annoyed by the praise UFC and others are giving McGregor for the rematch.
Completely irritated. I’ve lost decisions that I didn’t really lose and if I asked to get a rematch, it was out of the question like ‘Are you kidding me, don’t even ask.’ But this guy is getting praised for wanting a rematch. It’s like get the f–k out of here, this is the fight game. Whoever has lost a fight in the UFC and hasn’t wanted to fight that guy the next day shouldn’t be in the sport. All of a sudden he’s getting praised for losing and wanting a rematch? Get the f–k out of here, I’m sick of hearing it…Have you heard any praise out of Dana White or the UFC for me winning the fight at all? Nothing. At this point it’s not even about me and (McGregor). It’s me versus the whole f–king organization.
Also says that he brought the value of the purse up.
Do you think he would have made 1.5 million pay-per-views with Rafael dos Anjos? No, he would have made 700,000, maybe 900,000 but I got a following too.
Palhares: ‘I would kill Conor McGregor’
Appearing in the UK for the upcoming Polaris Pro 3 event, Palhares says he would consider a return to the UFC to take on McGregor.
I am happy to be here and even happier that all my British fans are supporting me whilst I’m here…I know I have an image as a bad boy in the ring but that is not the person that I am underneath. If people got to really know me they would see what I am really like. I have made some mistakes in the past and during fights but I am a good person…I would consider returning to the UFC just to fight McGregor. I would kill him. He is too small and weak in Jiu Jitsu to beat me. It would be a privilege to fight him but I would dominate with my ground game and submit him easily. When I play the fight In my head I see him giving in from a foot hold. He is too small to beat me. He shouldn’t be in my division but a fight is a fight.
Claims McGregor ‘full of juice’
Aldo claims McGregor was using banned substances prior to his fight at March 5.
The fight was not at featherweight. Why would I rematch him in a different weight class with no belt? Now, to make this fight at 155, where he was full of juice in his body, where he hides and nobody tests him, only when he gets to Las Vegas, a week before the fight, and then it’s way easier for you to clean the body and fight. They offered the fight knowing that I wasn’t trained at all. I can’t say anything. I can train, beat Frankie Edgar and then know that I’ve earned my fight for the title again.
On trying to get a rematch:
We called and texted him every day (asking for the rematch) and nothing. There was no talk for a month…They already had in mind who to put against Conor. That’s the path they try to follow, and it’s kind of dirty to me. There’s no negotiation. We ask, and not always we get a response. When they respond is like that, and then they say they love us. It’s a bit weird. But what can I do?”
He thinks Diaz will win.
He’s used to this weight. It’s really hard to move up in weight and continue winning. It’s going to be different now that Nate will be more prepared. He can do his thing, anything he wants, from start to end.
Manager: McGregor will defend featherweight title after UFC 200
McGregor’s manager responds to comments that McGregor, who has yet to defend the featherweight title, will leave the division.
No, that would have already happened. That was something that Conor was adamant about. He’s going to keep his belt, he’s going to defend. At the end of the day, if he was going to vacate, he would have done it already.
Diaz says he ruined plans for McGregor v GSP
If McGregor had won UFC 196, there were rumours that he would have been in line for a welterweight title shot against champion Robbie Lawler. However, Diaz, who won the bout, says the UFC would have lined up Georges St-Pierre for McGregor’s next fight.
I put a big old halt on that shit. Like what are you guys thinking that I’m some game to be played with? I’ve been in this game for too long to f–k with. Yeah, they had GSP there, they wanted to have this whole GSP/McGregor show bullshit. I don’t even want to hear that shit…GSP’s going to come out of retirement to fight this little ass Conor McGregor? What the f–k? This is all just a freak show now. Now what did I do? I pissed off Conor McGregor, I pissed off GSP and most of all I pissed off the UFC…I wanted to be the first one to speak up — you’re a f–king bully. You know you’re going to hold that little ass Irishman down. You’re going to hop in and take this money fight like ‘I’m coming back for this’ like what the f–k. Get your ass up to your weight class and Conor McGregor’s out of line, too, trying to fight big ass people.
Dos Anjos: McGregor is a coward
Dos Anjos, UFC lightweight champion, calls McGregor a “coward” for putting off his first featherweight title defense. The featherweight division will continue to be held up for at least another half year or so as McGregor pursues fights against bigger men.
feel bad for Aldo and Edgar,after ufc200 Conor ll find another fight in a different division,so he can keep his belt for lil longer #coward
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) March 31, 2016
Sonnen: McGregor not juicing
Sonnen defends McGregor after Nate Diaz’s accusation that McGregor was “full of juice”.
First off, Conor’s not on anything. I’m a guy that lived in that world. When a guy takes his t-shirt off, I can tell you exactly what he’s taking. I can look at his traps, I can look at his pecs; his definition. I know what he has taken and how he got to look that way. Conor’s clean. He’s got great genetics. He’s got good DNA going through his system. He’s just one of those guys that got lucky.
Cruz: McGregor avoiding ‘hard fight’ with Edgar
Speaking at a media day for UFC 199, Cruz says that McGregor is using the higher weight fight against Diaz as a strategy against Edgar.
Conor’s going up to fight Diaz at 170[lbs] again, leaving the featherweight belt for Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar to fight for. Okay, what if Conor McGregor goes back down and fights Frankie Edgar at 145lbs? Which is an extremely terrible style match-up and a hard fight and then he loses? Now he’s lost all his push, whereas if he stays at 170, fights Diaz and he happens to lose again, he still has it because he’s like; ‘Well, but it was it 170′. So there’s still excuses to make for it, to say why he’s the best. If he loses to Frankie Edgar at 145, you pretty much kill the excuses. It doesn’t necessarily take away legitimacy but it buys time.
Diaz: Real MMA fans knew I could beat McGregor
Diaz criticizes fake fans:
A lot of people like [Justin] Bieber, Drake and [former NFL star] Jerry Rice were saying all of these things. Anyone who is a real fan of the sport — and not just what is blasted over social media — knew I had a better chance of winning the fight. I have a lot of fights and they were making it out like I was a new guy getting a chance. But he [McGregor] was actually the guy getting the chance with a real fighter who has been in the game and is a real opponent.
Carvalho fight ‘could have been stopped earlier’
Speaking before the death of Carvalho, McGregor says the fight with Ward should have been stopped earlier.
My teammate Charlie had a good win just there. Hell of a fight. Your man took some big shots. Thought it could have been stopped a little earlier. I feel these referee’s need to be on the ball a little bit…To see the way it’s all progressed, the regulations and everything, all the medical staff and everything. It’s proper now. To see this is great.