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.
Will cut some weight for UFC 200
0 CommentsMcGregor’s nutritionist says only minor changes made in the short lead-up to UFC 196.
Once [Conor] found out he was at 170, there was not really a need for the cut any more. It was not like he was having to pack on a bunch of extra weight or anything like that. The eating was still the same. You want to eat clean and keep the same principles that we have with everybody. Types of food, times of food, hormonal response to the food and then the portion sizes…The shots that Nate took? I was blown away. I’m talking in general, when somebody has got extra weight – the more muscle you have, the more oxygen your body is using. It takes a lot of oxygen to give the muscles the fuel to keep doing what they are doing. The more muscle you have, the easier it is to gas out.
McGregor will cut some weight for UFC 200 but it will not be a lot. He is staying in McGregor’s houses, in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, preparing him specific meals every three hours.
Bjornsson: I was ‘gentle’ with McGregor
In an interview with Men’s Health, Bjornsson talks about his sparring session with McGregor, before his victory against Jose Aldo. He says he had to be careful not to injure McGregor.
I was in Ireland shooting for Game of Thrones and my friend [Icelandic UFC fighter] Gunnar Nelson was training in Dublin with Conor. I asked if I could check out a session. I knew he had a big fight coming up, so I was gentle with him.
McGregor:
We squared off as if we were gonna do it. Then all of a sudden, he’s bouncing and I’m bouncing. Next thing you know, we’re having a full, bareknuckle body shot fight.
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.
Starts training for UFC 200
0 CommentsThree years to the day he started UFC, McGregor’s coach posts an image of him starting training for UFC 200.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BD3fnXqgqEP/
Manager: McGregor would have fought at 155 or 170
McGregor’s manager says McGregor initially asked for the UFC 200 fight with Diaz at 170 pounds — the same weight as UFC 196. Then, after listening to Coach Kavanagh and the rest of his team, McGregor said he’d be willing to do it at 155.
At the 11th hour, before we signed the bout agreement, [McGregor] said, ‘Look, I’m hearing everybody. If everybody wants to do 155, fine. Let’s do 155’. The contract was already written at 170. And so, in Conor’s defense, he really didn’t give two sh*ts. He really wanted it at 170, because he wanted to prove he could beat him there…Conor is his own CEO, but intelligently he listens to the people around him and then makes his own final decision.
The fight will be at 170. Attar also says the rematch is not about McGregor wanting to avenge his only loss in the UFC.
For him, that loss in itself, because of how he was performing until it went the other way is yet again fueled by his own self-belief system, confidence and desire to want to continue to push the envelope with his athletic ability and his skills, no matter who is in front of him. It happens to be the guy who beat him. He wants to put the same canvas up and paint a different picture for the audience to watch.
Attar says that immediately after the loss to Diaz, McGregor watched the fight on his phone with his coach around 20 times on a loop, even before the press conference started.
[He’s] obsessed. Obsessed with it.
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.
Attends Ward v Carvallo
McGregor attends Total Extreme Fighting 1 to see his SBG’s Charlie “The Hospital” Ward win his second professional bout, scoring a TKO victory over Portugal’s Joao Carvalho.
Johnson: I like everything about McGregor
In an interview with Heavyw8 News, Johnson praises McGregor.
I like Conor McGregor, ‘The Notorious’, I wish I took that name. I like it. I like everything about Conor McGregor…I like what he’s doing for the sport of UFC as well and I hope he doesn’t lose because it’s a fickle world. One minute everyone’s on your back, you’re the flavour of the month, you take a loss, everyone writes you off, but he’s done a lot for the sport of the UFC so far. You can’t fault him after losing, it’s how he gets back up and I think so far he’s done unbelievably well for the sport of UFC and I just hope he continues that.
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.
Schilling: Diaz ‘humbled, humiliated’ McGregor
In an interview with MMA Underground Schilling talks about Diaz’s approach to fighting McGregor.
There is no way that any consummate professional is going to go out there and blow his wad in the first round – unless you’re Conor McGregor and you go out there and blow your wad in the first round…So, Nate’s game plan was to go out there, not get knocked-out, but not waste any energy, and pick up as the rounds went on, because you have to go five rounds. You look at Nick and Nate’s style of fighting – they don’t ever do that well in the first round. They set a pace and then they drown you in it and then by the third, fourth round, guys are shooting for takedowns because they can’t stand getting hit anymore.
On the upcoming UFC 200 fight:
It’s going to be the same fight. I think it’s so obvious the holes in Conor’s game, they were all over the place. I think the skillset that Nate has is far superior to Conor’s and Nate having a full training camp is just way different…if you’re in there with someone you look up to, and you’re intimidated by, and you’re scared of, and talking all this sh-t about, your adrenaline is going to get (expletive) really bad and you’re going to try and knock him out in the first round. And, you’re going to lose like it did the last time.
On McGregor’s “humble in victory and defeat” attitude:
No, he got humbled, and humiliated. There is a big difference between being humble, and being humbled. There’s a big difference.
‘A hell of a fighter’
McGregor writes a tribute to Carvalho:
Terrible news regarding Joao Carvalho. To see a young man doing what he loves, competing for a chance at a better life, and then to have it taken away is truly heartbreaking.
We are just men and women doing something we love in the hope of a better life for ourselves and our families. Nobody involved in combat sports of any kind wants to see this. It is such a rare occurrence that I don’t know how to take this. I was ringside supporting my teammate, and the fight was so back and forth, that I just can’t understand it.
My condolences go out to Joao’s family and his team. Their man was a hell of a fighter and will be sorely missed by all. Combat sport is a crazy game and with the recent incident in boxing and now this in MMA, it is a sad time to be a fighter and a fight fan. It is easy for those on the outside to criticise our way of living, but for the millions of people around the world who have had their lives, their health, their fitness and their mental strength all changed for the better through combat, this is truly a bitter pill to swallow. We have lost one of us. I hope we remember Joao as a champion, who pursued his dream doing what he loved, and show him the eternal respect and admiration he deserves. Rest in peace, Joao.
Tyson: McGregor a ‘phenomenal’ personality
In an interview with Fighters Only, Tyson praises McGregor.
Conor is very charismatic. Jon Jones is bad, but deep down he’s a decent kind of person and very shy. Whereas this guy, Conor, he’s the man. He reminds me of the old-time boxers, one of those guys that’s just into everything. He walks into the room and everybody stands up. He sucks the air out of the room. He’s just a really interesting guy. He does things nobody else has been able to do too. He’s kind of like an animated character, one that’s real though. He’s a great fighter, but his personality is even bigger than his talent. Isn’t that crazy? He’s got this huge personality. Nobody in MMA has ever had a personality as big as his. Ronda [Rousey] is just like a monster—the things she would do—but this guy is different. His personality is phenomenal…It’s actually not even about the money, it’s the power. That’s what it’s all about. We never say it, but that’s what he wants: power. That’s why we put out lives on the brink of destruction, because we want to grasp that power. Nothing else matters. We almost want to give our lives up in pursuit of it. It’s worth dying and killing for.
Diaz: McGregor’s brand won’t be hurt by defeat
Diaz says that even if McGregor is defeated by him, it won’t hurt McGregor’s brand.
I’m sure he’ll be all right when I beat him. I’m top of the food chain. I’ve been fighting top 10 competition for eight years. Losing to me is not so bad. You can lose to some lame ass or you can lose to a real f–king G fighter. I don’t think it will hurt him too much. He’ll be all right…I feel bad for Frankie Edgar, that’s my dude right there. I like him. He was supposed to fight Conor McGregor a long time ago. This was his fight, too, and he got f–cked around a little bit. I hope he gets what he wants in the future…I’ll do the fights but I’m not going to put in the weight cutting work for chump change. Now I’m getting paid so I’m like I’ll make weight…Fight’s coming, we’ll see what happens. I don’t make predictions, we’ll see what happens. I don’t care, it’s whatever. I just want to go do what I gotta do and get the show cracking.
Edgar wants McGregor NYC fight
Edgard talks about his upcoming fight with Jose Aldo.
It’s kind of silly. It doesn’t really make sense. But I get to fight a five-round fight, I get to fight a legend in Aldo and be on one of the biggest cards in UFC history. There’s a lot of plus sides to it. And also, the interim’s going to guarantee me a shot at the title. If I hold the interim, there’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. I have to be fighting that guy for the title, or my title becomes the title if [McGregor] doesn’t come down. The momentum is on my side. Last time I was coming off of two close losses up at lightweight, losing the belt and everything. This time, I’m the one with the five-fight winning streak. He’s coming off of a devastating loss. Three years went by. I’m much more experienced, I’m much more mature as a fighter and I’m much more comfortable in there…I’d love to get a win here in July and then fight McGregor for that real title in [Madison Square] Garden in November. If not McGregor, then I’ll be defending my title in the Garden.
Beach Instagram
McGregor posts an Instagram of him on a beach.
Somewhere in the world working hard.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEOyqiErzua/
Brolly: Ban UFC
Joe Brolly writes an editorial in The Sunday Independent saying that following the death of Carvalho, UFC and other violent sports should be banned.
The truth is that violent sports are a rich man’s play thing, where poor men try to put each other into a coma for our amusement. These violent life-and-death sports are fun. They bring us to somewhere primitive inside us. It is why the spectators in the Colosseum gasped and cheered as the knife was thrust home. The law permits it. And it shouldn’t. Time to ban these violent pro sports. Sometimes, human beings have to be protected from themselves…Is it good enough that a young man be beaten to death in a cage for our amusement? Is it good enough that as he begins the slow process of dying, lying on the canvas like a tranquillised cow in the abattoir, Conor McGregor, our most famous sportsman, is giving high fives all around, laughing, and beating his chest? Is it?