Takedown defence video
Kavanagh posts a video showing McGregor using a Granby roll to get out of a wrestling takedown.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BK8-IvkgJ-M/
Kellerman, Smith: Mayweather knows McGregor fight is easy money
Smith and Kellerman discuss McGregor-Mayweather on ESPN First Take. Kellerman:
You gotta love Conor McGregor, he’s the best talker who can fight. Floyd is the best fighter who can talk. You put those two names together it’s going to be a big promotion…If you’re the same size as Floyd you’re not going to beat him in the ring…You’re also not going to beat him at the negotiating table…His team is the best at negotiating…so he gets the lion’s share against anyone…But here’s where McGregor has the leverage…In the ring, Floyd against McGregor…that’s easy money. So where else does Mayweather get the chance to make so much money, for so little risk?…I think at even some level even McGregor knows this. So the negotiation goes on…Conor has plenty of leverage here.
Smith:
So I talked to Floyd on the phone and he said, ‘Yeah man, I called it off brother gotta know his place. I’m all about business. I’m in this for business’… He doesn’t need anything, but he has no problems in making more money.. But here’s the thing about Floyd; he has no problem with a fighter getting money…He respects Conor McGregor because he brings the dollars in, he’s not going to let McGregor get more than him, but he has no problem with Conor McGregor getting his share.
Mayweather: McGregor fight still possible
After McGregor called out Mayweather at the UFC 205 press conference:
I’m looking around, I don’t know what anyone else has for me around here. I might have to jump up, drag Floyd Mayweather out of bed and see what he’s at again.
Mayweather responds:
Are we going to fight? I just don’t know…Ya man, I’m loving retirement but you know, for a couple more bucks, you just don’t know.
McGregor rejected Cerrone fight twice
Cerrone says he was offered two fights with McGregor.
Someone please just shut this dude up. Last night [at the UFC 205 press conference] I was going to get on the horn and start getting after him but I decided not to because you talk about him, people not taking fights, he, two times I had the obligation to fight him and he turned down and took the easier fight…When he fought Diaz for the first time, I just fought. So it was Sunday, I was flying home, Dana calls and asked me if I’d like to fight Conor and that was for the Diaz first fight. And, he declined me and took Diaz cause Diaz was in Mexico you know, took the fight on 10 days notice or whatever. But, why would he want to fight me coming off a win? So yeah, my name was in the hat. Conor and his people didn’t pick me.
White: McGregor must relinquish title on UFC 205 win
White says that if McGregor defeats Alvarez for the Lightweight Championship at UFC 205 in New York, he will have to relinquish one of his titles before moving forward.
He wants to try to gain both belts and he will give up one of the titles after that fight in New York…He’s got some stuff going on right now, some personal stuff that I’m sure he’ll announce when he’s ready. But this fight made sense.
McGregor ‘knows exactly who I am’
In response to McGregor’s comment at the UFC 205 press conference, Stephens, who has fought on two UFC cards alongside McGregor (UFC 189 and 194), says that McGregor knows who he is:
It’s kind of sad because I really couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying throughout the press conference, or what anybody was saying. I couldn’t hear what Donald Cerrone was saying and he was right next to me. I wanted to jump in a little bit more and create that buzz because there’s a lot of buzz around McGregor and I wanted to steal that thunder but I also didn’t want to sound like an idiot because I couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying.
When we got into it, it is what it is. He knows exactly who I am. I’ve fought on his cards before and had some nasty knockouts. It’s only a matter of time but right now my 100% focus is on Frankie Edgar. An exciting win, a great knockout, a highlight win puts me right in the mix for that title shot. You never know, there could be some injuries or whatnot and I’d gladly be the guy to step up and put on a show for the New York fans.
Responds to White’s weight comments
Diaz responds to White’s comments that he fought McGregor at 190 pounds:
Fuck them both. You know both those little bitches are afraid to fight me. That’s why they are fighting each other…And tell Dana I said get off Conor’s nuts. I left my room to that fight at 176 (pounds), so when I fought, I was probably 173. Quit telling people I was a monster to make him look good. I’ve been a lightweight my whole career…Eddie said I was next after Gilbert, then I called him a bitch in the lobby and he turned the fight down repeatedly until I beat Conor. Then he called every day asking for the fight. Bitch. What kinda fighters are these guys?
UFC 205 Face Off
McGregor and Alvarez face off at the UFC 205 press conference.
https://www.facebook.com/UFCUnitedKingdom/videos/1115578898478059/
‘Who the f-ck is this guy?’
When McGregor is asked who would be the toughest challenge for him after the Alvarez fight, Stephens says:
This guy right here (points to self): the hardest hitter. This guy (pointing to McGregor) TKOs people, when I knock people out they don’t f-cking move.
To which McGregor responds:
Who the f-ck is this guy? Who the f-ck is that?
UFC 205 press conference
White introduces McGregor and Alvarez at the UFC 205 press conference. McGregor, on his value to the company:
4.2 billion dollars that’s what I’m worth to this company!
On his earnings:
[For UFC 202] $25 million baby! I feel by the time 2016 closes out I’ll be closing out on $40 million. This has been a good year for me.
On the move to Lightweight:
I’m very happy with the 155 pound weight limit. Of all the divisions I’ve ran through and around I feel 155 will be the one where I take over the most. So I look forward to that…I’m gonna put one belt on one shoulder, and the other belt on the other shoulder. You’re gonna need a f-ckin’ army to take those belts off of me…
Is Mystic Mac back?
I have nothing against Edward…I run New York. I run this whole shit, and Mystic Mac predicts I’m going to KO you in one round!..The Irish built this town. We built this damn city. Now we’re taking it back. I’m going to take out one of your own. But make no mistake, it’s all love.
He’s chinny. He has a chin. He gets cracked. He gets dropped. He’s a weathered fighter. He’s on his way out. He’s very lucky to be in the position he is in…One round it will take me to knock him out. This guy’s a balloon. He’s gonna be shooting panic. And that’s all she wrote!
Update on leg:
That fight was five weeks ago. I cam e out of that fight fresher than I wnt in. Look at Nate’s face. Nate will never look the same. I looked the same. I had a bruised foot…I was chillin here waiting for the call, and then the call came last minute, and I jumped on a plane. I’m brand new…I said it out straight ‘Beg me’, and they begged me.
On Alvarez:
He didn’t even negotiate new money for himself. Imagine that. Look at everyone up here. This is a lottery fight. They all dressed like me, they all talk like me. They all trying to to be me. Everyone in the game wants this fight. And this man took it on his last contract. Imagine getting the biggest fight in the history of the game, and saying shut your mouth kid you;re getting paid what you got paid what you got paid for your last fight…He’s just another broke bum, trying to sell some shit. Just another broke bum who can’t pay his bills…You’re blessed that I chose you. You’re blessed that I choose to whoop your ass.
Alvarez:
You ain’t got a shot. You’re here because you’re the easiest dude in this division.
White: Diaz fought McGregor at 190 pounds
White says that Diaz was far heavier than measured at the weigh-in. Diaz weighed in at 170.5lbs on the day preceding UFC 202 and McGregor was 168 pounds.
The night of the fight Diaz comes in at 190 pounds. Now, Conor McGregor is [145-pound to 155-pound] guy and if you look at the wars he’s had with Diaz – you can only have so many of those wars in your career man. And it just doesn’t make sense. That’s why we have weight classes. It ended up being an amazing fight but you don’t want to keep doing that.
Anger at McGregor-Alvarez fight announcement
Nurmagomedov says that, despite being sent two separate contracts for a title shot against Alvarez at UFC 205 and UFC 206, he has been used as a negotiating tool in order to get the real UFC 205 main event over the line.
When I signed agreement with @UFC it was sport. Now it became a freak show, or I don’t know how to call it right. Only thing that keeping me in this cracking sport, is that I don’t want to stop on the halfway, I wasn’t raised like this, not a quiter. I’ll keep moving forward InshaAllah.
I have two bout agreements that bullshit champ refuses to sign. I got used the whole time to make Conor and Eddie get on their knees and beg
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) September 27, 2016
Just for the record @Ealvarezfight and @TheNotoriousMMA fear me I'm just a man. Your time will come to get my hands on you
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) September 27, 2016
McGregor-Alvarez confirmed for UFC 205
UFC confirms that McGregor will meet Alvarez on November 12th in Madison Square Garden for a fight for the lightweight title.
Ortiz: McGregor should be ‘jumping through hoops’ for UFC
Ortiz says that McGregor should be showing more appreciation for UFC.
Here’s the difference between me and McGregor. I did every press junket, every press thing, I travelled the country for the UFC, I never said no. My biggest thing was the payment amount of money that I was getting paid per fight. When you’re making 200 grand per fight, that’s pennies. When Conor is making five million a fight to ten million a fight, he should be jumping through hoops for these guys…The money he’s making is just phenomenal, and I’m proud of the kid. I applaud him for doing that, but he’s got to put in the work. This truly is not just about the fight in general, it’s about building the fights, it’s about going out and doing the promotion for the company and not saying no to things. So that’s something that I always did…He’s one of the highest paid MMA fighters in the world today and that’s because he talks great, but he has to do the work behind those skills. I mean, that’s what really matters. You don’t want to be a flash in the pan.
White wants McGregor-Aldo, Nurmagomedov-Alvarez
White says he plans to have Alvarez defend his belt against Nurmagomedov, and McGregor to defend his belt against Aldo. Nurmagomedov says he has signed two contracts to fight Alvarez: one for UFC 205 in New York in November and another to fight him at UFC 206 in Toronto in December. However, Alvarez wants to fight McGregor, and McGregor appears to want to fight Alvarez. Reports of a McGregor injury affecting the fight are dismissed by White:
Conor’s foot is hurt, but he thinks he can fight. I want him to fight Aldo.
Nurmagomedov:
Alvarez wants to fight McGregor, because it’s an easy fight and it’s a lot of money to fight him. But he has to fight me. Dana White has told me, ‘He is fighting you. He has to fight you.’ His record is only 2-1 in the UFC and he loses like a chicken to Cowboy [Cerrone]. How did he even get a title shot? I don’t know why he is so scared to fight me…I would have to be careful in the first [round] because he does punch hard. In the second, I would start to catch him and in the third, I’d finish him. Mentally, he’s already lost to me…All I want is 25 minutes in the cage with Alvarez…Put me in a cage somewhere with him and lock the door. Then I can show the world who the best really is.
Men’s Health interview
McGregor is interviewed by Men’s Health magazine, where he explains how to win a bar fight.
You want to hit someone on the soft part of their face. I recommend putting your fist between their nose and mouth. It’s tender there. To hit someone on the chin you need power. In any case, don’t wait. Hit first and hit hard. Get in and get out.
On his life plan:
I have a plan. Get in, get rich, and get out.
Does he ever fell fear?:
No way, man. It feels like freedom. It’s the one time in my life where I get to do whatever the f-ck I want.
Throwdown party announcement
McGregor announces a party, called Throwdown, at Dublin’s Sin night club.
https://www.facebook.com/thenotoriousmma/photos/a.495799027155068.1073741828.494191297315841/1370562579678704/
Flow sparring video
Kavanagh posts a video of McGregor and others flow sparring at Straight Blast Gym, in Ireland.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKsuj9jgbl7/
Alvarez: Asking for too much money story ‘a lie’
Alvarez says he did not ask for too much money in negotiations with McGregor.
this is a lie , please don't report llies , You guys are awesome , keep it Real! Thank you #ufc205 #phillyfighter #
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) September 22, 2016
Adding to the reports, MMAFighting’s Helwani says that Alvarez did not even receive an offer to fight McGregor
Reports that Alvarez asked for more money to fight McGregor, thus ruining the deal, are not true, per sources. He has yet to be offered it.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 23, 2016
Nurmagomedov: McGregor vs. Alvarez would be ‘No. 1 bulls**t’
Nurmagomedov says he should be given the title shot against Alvarez, not McGregor.
I want to fight at 205 in New York, maybe fight with Eddie Alvarez. I love this fight. I want to fight for the belt. All fans, coaches, fighters, analytics, everybody agrees and knows who deserves this title shot. I deserve it. I am No. 1 ranked. Why UFC put me on No. 1 ranking if they don’t want to give me title shot? Why do they make rankings? Conor McGregor fights in the UFC in a lighter division and the UFC wants to give him title shot? I think this is No. 1 bullshit. They cannot give him a title shot because he’s never fought with the top guys, like top five, top 10 in the lightweight division, and they want to give him title shot?..I’m still focused. If the UFC gives him a title shot, it’s okay. I’m a little bit not happy and at the same time I’m a little bit happy, because if the UFC gives him a title shot and he becomes lightweight champion and I win somebody like a top five guy, then we have to fight and he has to fight with me.