Malignaggi: McGregor controversy ‘was planned’

Malignaggi says he believes the controversy over his ‘pushdown’ photo was planned

I think it was planned,. When I looked back [at what happened], I realized that everything was probably planned from the start. I talked bad about Conor six months ago, I wanted to get the fight, but that happens a lot among boxers. We talk, we try to get the fight. So, when he called me, I thought, Conor already talked bad about me, but since we won’t fight it’s like, hey, we’re friendly to each other, we hug each other — it’s business. If you fight, you fight. If you don’t fight, you understand that it’s [been] business. So, I’m thinking, I’ve been through this before, I’m going to [join the] camp and we’re going to be cool…For me, I wasn’t mad at anything but I started seeing things, and I started getting mad. This guy is doing things on purpose […]. One day, he made me come to the gym at 3:30. We’re supposed to box at 9. I show up at 3:30, no boxing. And I can’t work out because before, Conor has to work out, and I can’t watch him work out. So why do I have to come to the gym at 3:30 [if] we’re supposed to box at 9!? Just to tell me I can’t work out […]? I cannot do this every day for three weeks.

He predicts a ‘dirty’ fight:

I see Conor being very dirty in the beginning [to have Mayweather] confused. A mixed martial artist, when he gets close, what does he do? He grabs you. I was boxing [McGregor on the inside]. He doesn’t know how to fight inside […]. Outside, Floyd is too good. Inside, Conor doesn’t know how to fight, so what is he going to do? After a few rounds, he’s going to realize he’s dead — just like with Nate Diaz.