Unseen footage of McGregor backstage prior to UFC 196 loss released
Previously unreleased footage of McGregor entering the arena before his March 2016 UFC 196 loss to Nate Diaz is released. As McGregor heads for the octagon, draped in the Irish tricolour, to the sounds of Sinéad O’Connor’s Foggy Dew, he says:
Sing to me Sinéad. Sing me into war.
Coach Kavanagh issues encouragement to his fighter before the walk is made.
He shouldn’t have asked for it. Now he’s gonna get it.
McGregor lost to a rear naked chokehold towards the end of the second round.
Winkeljohn: McGregor can win if he ‘does something Floyd hasn’t seen before’
Striking coach Winkeljohn says he can see a scenario in which McGregor gets the job done.
If I was to put money on it I’d put Mayweather. But I think Conor has a chance early on. I think if Conor can come in with some different things that Floyd hasn’t seen, off-angle things that he can attack so Floyd can’t hide behind his shoulder as such, he could pull off a surprise. But that would play out real quickly if Conor’s thinking those thoughts. He’s got to come to the table with something that Floyd hasn’t seen much before. And those are the things Conor can do. Conor’s very athletic. Conor’s got a great understanding of angles and footwork. But to do those things, that takes a lot of energy. And in a world title fight do you hold back because you’re worried about running out of gas, or do you just let it go? And that’s tough. That’s a hard call to make on the outside, trying to figure out what’s going on in a fighter’s mind.
Coker to UFC: You’re putting McGregor in harm’s way
Coker, who is the CEO of the Bellator promotion, says there could be long-term repercussions that could affect the UFC’s biggest superstar.
Obviously, it’s gonna be a big money maker for everybody and that’s why they’re doing it. But you’re putting your fighter in harm’s way, so what’s the long-term impact on that? I’m not sure. But I’ll tell you this: It’ll be a lot of fun to watch…Any time Mayweather fights, the circus is in town, man. It’s gonna be a big, big promotion. And Conor he can carry his own on the mic. The whole campaign leading up to the event is gonna be more entertaining than the fight.
Big Show tells McGregor he faces rough night against Mayweather
Big Show, who fought Mayweather at Wrestlemania 24 in 2008, says McGregor is facing a tough competitor in Mayweather.
He’s one of the greatest fighters in his weight class of all time. To share the stage with him at WrestleMania was one of the most incredible moments of my career.
Mayweather posts training video
Mayweather posts a video of his training for the upcoming fight with McGregor.
Ferguson: ‘I have to give homeboy credit, because that’s cool’
Ferguson says he’s impressed by McGregor’s switch to boxing.
Conor is not going to lose anything off it because he’s taking a chance in another sport, and I have to give homeboy credit, because that’s cool. I was always a multi-sport athlete when I was younger, and this right here is dope. I would love to box. I want to go into GLORY and I want to kickbox. I don’t like sitting on the sidelines. I like to stay active. I have to say that with Conor, you have to step up your boxing skills. You’re messing with a lion in there. MMA is a completely different sport. You are a striker, son, not a boxer. This is boxing. You’re not going to be able to go in there and strike. It’s a different sport and a different animal…Win or lose, I think Conor is an athlete; I think he’s going to have it in his head that he’s not going to have to sit on the sidelines. I see it in Conor’s face, I see it in his mannerisms that he’s hungry, that’s he’s always going to want to dig to try and get the bigger, better picture. He’s made that money, so maybe he’s not trying to look after the money part. He wants to secure that legacy and he wants to go down in the books.
Hunter to McGregor: Run at Mayweather ‘and just throw’
Hunter, who trains Andre Ward, the current number one pound for pound boxer, says that McGregor should simply rush Mayweather.
[If I was training McGregor I’d] condition him to be a straight brawler…forget boxing…just get in tip-top shape where you go in and literally run at him and just throw. I would definitely take the blueprint of Maidana, and just throw. If he’s trying to box and be technical about it, it’s not gonna work…Just run at him and fight. He can’t do it continuously, but y’know, when you have a chance.
Woodley to place $1000 bet on McGregor to beat Mayweather
Woodley says he is going to put $1000 on McGregor to beat Mayweather.
To be honest, me and Conor ain’t really seen eye to eye on a lot of things. In the end I still really want to scrap him. But I’m betting on Conor [Because] I bet a grand, I win 6500 bucks. I bet two grand, get 13 grand. This is freaking combat sports, anybody got a chance. So I’m willing to lose for the chance to win… I don’t think he’s gonna win, but if he prove me wrong then I, at least, want to cash in on it.
https://twitter.com/ufcrelated/status/875870289732698112
Hatton: I hope McGregor wins, but ‘it could be a 12 round onslaught’
Hatton, who was stopped by Mayweather in the 10th round when the pair met in 2007, says the American could win every round, although accepts there could be plenty of entertainment.
I can’t say I’m a fan of it. I’m a fan of UFC, a fan of McGregor – he’s got character, he’s exciting, entertaining, value for money. I hope I don’t upset any Irish fans or Conor, but I can’t get excited about this fight one bit. When I look at some of the people Mayweather has beaten like Saul Alvarez – he’s not going to be as big a puncher as Alvarez, and he couldn’t lay a glove on him. I feel embarrassed to say this but I’d be very surprised if [McGregor] wins a round. I hope he does well. I hope he wins. There’s no doubt whose corner I’m in, but if you’re asking me to be brutally honest I can’t see anything other than a shut-out for Mayweather. I think it could be a 12-round onslaught, to be honest with you…Boxing and UFC have to take the blame for it – I don’t think you can blame the fighters because it’s going to be a stack of money. Good luck to the boys. Who’s going to turn their back on that? I just can’t say I’m a fan of this. I’m fans of both sports but they’re their own individual sports and they should stick to their own.
Danis: McGregor loves MMA too much to retire
Danis, McGregor’s jiu-jitsu partner, say that the Irishman will not retire from MMA.
MMA’s his passion so he’ll go back to that for sure. At the end of the day we’re all competitive…I know him, this is his love, this is his passion…I think he’ll knock [Mayweather] out [in] under six rounds.
Van Heerden: Why I released McGregor sparring video
Van Heerden explains why he released a video of him sparring with McGregor along with comments where he said McGregor would not be able to ‘land’ a punch on Mayweather.
Because people are tweeting and talking and telling me that Mayweather has his hands full landing on Conor McGregor. I’m a professional fighter — boxer. And I’m standing up for the sport. I was just making it very clear that, don’t be ridiculous. If I could land, don’t tell me Floyd Mayweather is not gonna land…This is just a platform to prove that in boxing, a mixed martial artist taking on a boxer in the world of a boxer, you’re not gonna beat a boxer in boxing taking him on if you come from mixed martial arts.
Despite his earlier comments, he says that McGregor has a small change.
Yes, he has a slight chance of pulling it off. He’s a fighter, he’s a mixed martial artist. He can land one big punch. It can happen. This is fighting, it’s two men in the ring. The opportunity is there. He doesn’t have a zero chance of beating or causing the biggest upset in the sport. Yes, he has. In my opinion and I’m gonna stick by it and I’m not afraid to say it, there’s no way he’s beating Mayweather…I have nothing but respect for McGregor. There’s no bad blood. I think [he’s] phenomenal. And being a southpaw, it’s gonna work in his favor. He’s got the power to do it. I wasn’t fazed by his power, I wasn’t hurt. But again, we didn’t have 10-ounce gloves on and he’s got some small chance of causing an upset.
McGregor to earn $100 million for fighting Mayweather
White says he expects McGregor to make $100 million from fighting Mayweather. Mayweather has previously said he expects to ear $300 million from the fight.
I made 300 [million dollars] in one night [vs. Manny Pacquiao]. Throughout my career I made 800 [million dollars] and it’s possible I can make another 300 [million dollars].
Boxing officials considering unique diamond belt for mega-fight
Sulaiman, the WBC president, says he is considering a one-off diamond belt for the McGregor-Mayweather fight.
Maybe, I don’t know. I’m not against it. Of course this is a WBC board decision but we have to celebrate that boxing is having world attention regardless. We need to receive from the promoter if they want any intervention from a boxing organisation. We do medicals, we do drug testing, weigh-ins and specific boxing matters that helps the promoter with the organisation to conduct safely an event. We haven’t received anything yet and we don’t know what Mayweather wants to do.
He also believes Mayweather will win:
When you have a Muay Thai fighter in Thailand, they make their career and then they jump into international boxing and many have been very successful. McGregor has been successful in MMA but in boxing rules it’s going to be a very difficult challenge for him…It’s hard to say if it’s a mismatch. I personally don’t see a way that Mayweather can lose to McGregor because it’s in boxing and you are talking about Floyd Mayweather, the greatest tactical fighter who has intelligence and speed.
McGregor-Mayweather venue clash
TMZ reports that the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is already booked for the proposed date for the McGregor-Mayweather fight on August 26 by Ice Cube’s BIG 3 basketball league. BIG3 sources say they have no plans to move — they still have the venue booked and expect to play there on August 26th. McGregor-Mayweather sources say that BIG 3 will be moved to MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Lobov puts fights on hold to help train McGregor
Lobov says he is putting his career on hold while he helps McGregor prepare to fight Mayweather.
I was offered a fight with Andre Fili. He was calling me out on Twitter. I would’ve taken the fight, but it’s just too hard for me to commit to something on July 29. I’m needed in this camp. It would’ve been too much of a risk for me…Let’s be honest: I don’t give a (expletive) about Andre Fili. I could fight that guy any day of the week. Once this fight is out of the way, and Conor knocks out Mayweather and has the world at his feet, we can see what’s going to happen then. Conor got into the UFC. We all helped him to get there, and then he pulled everybody up there with him. I owe it to him to help him in any way I can…I know John Kavanagh is going to be involved. Owen Roddy will be involved, too. This is the team that we prepare with for every fight, and it will be no different for this fight. This has been the team from the start. This is the dream team, and it’s staying that way. Of course, if we feel that there are some areas where we are lacking knowledge or expertise, we will bring in people.
He also believes that McGregor will win:
There’s one thing I would say to all of the critics: Don’t try to hate the man that dares to do the impossible. He has proven plenty of people wrong before, so I think it’s time for everybody to support him and believe in him. Conor doesn’t just show up for a payday and take a beating. He is in this fight because he knows he can win it. I know he can win this. Not only do I know he can win this, he will win it. I’m 100 percent certain of that. He stops him before Round 6 is over. Mark my words.
Mayweather: McGregor’s ‘a hell of a competitor’
In his first interview since his fight with McGregor is announced, Mayweather pays tribute to his opponent.
McGregor is a tough competitor. People all around the world demanded this fight, so I had to give the people what they wanted to see. They asked for this fight, I was retired but they wanted me back. I’m back. Both parties are very happy. He’s very happy, I’m very happy and I can’t wait. … Believe in Conor … he’s a hell of a competitor.
Schaub offers $100K bet against Kellerman for McGregor to hit Mayweather
Schaub responds to Kellerman’s claim that McGregor will not lay a punch on Mayweather, and ups the ante, with a $100,000 bet.
Let me tell you something @maxkellerman I GUARANTEE Conor will not only land a punch but win rounds. I'd bet 100k on it. You game? https://t.co/WOT8j1171C
— Brendan Schaub (@BrendanSchaub) June 15, 2017
Collins: McGregor’s ‘brave, he’s got a heart, and he’s afraid of nobody’
Collins, who helped train McGregor in boxing, says he knew McGregor would make an impact in the sport.
Four years ago, I always reckoned that he could have gone all the way in boxing for the reason that his work ethic is unbelievable. You know when somebody walks into a room and stands out. I would watch him for an hour and he’d practice the same move over and over. He’s brave, he’s got a heart, and he’s afraid of nobody.
Saki: McGregor’s pressure could be decisive against Mayweather
Saki, who recently signed to the UFC, and is a world championship kickboxer, says McGregor’s pressure could be decisive against Mayweather.
I spar a lot of professional boxing fighters also and they’re used to fighting over twelve rounds, three minutes. They start slowly. If Conor starts aggressive and he makes a lot of pressure… If I was him, I would make war with Floyd for five, six rounds. I believe — everybody will laugh — but I believe he will make a chance because he has good eyes too. They are not used to aggressive fighters. If you see [Floyd’s] last couple of fights, only Maidana was fighting aggressive with him. He hit him a couple of times. He also almost knocked him out.
McGregor’s manager: The fans are going to be really happy
Attar, McGregor’s manager and founder of Paradigm Sports Management, talks about the McGregor-Mayweather deal.
Early on it was really still a vision that not too many, other than I think Floyd, Conor and our team, really saw as being a viable opportunity. Fan interest started building up; the fans really want to see this and then the UFC sat down with us. That was when it started to feel real. I think credit to all parties involved. Going through the negotiation process, figuring out what’s important to all parties and then being able to connect all the dots and make a deal is unprecedented…The fight is unprecedented. I think what we’ve done, just in regards to having Conor cross over and box arguably the greatest boxer of all time is unprecedented and I think this event will be unprecedented. I think the fans are going to walk away feeling really happy. The naysayers think that Conor is walking in there for a payday but he’s going in there to compete; he is going in there to shock the world. He’s kinda had that approach an chip on his shoulder throughout his entire, and young, fight career thus far. This fight is no different. The stakes are really high. We’re really happy from a business standpoint how the deal ended up but make no mistake about it, he is going in there to compete.
