Bad Blood preview
McGregor and Diaz appear in a trailer for Bad Blood, which premieres August 14 at 10pm/7pm ET/PT on FS1. Diaz:
They thought he was untouchable. Like he was Superman.
McGregor:
We were certain to fight each other for a long time. And then it came about. It came about quickly..I was dominating the fight, and then, like that, I lost. How can I slap a guy’s face all around the Octagon for eight minutes, and then lose that way?
Nutritionist interview
Lockhart, McGregor’s nutritionist, talks about preparation for UFC 202.
I head out there this week to make sure he’s taken care of, feeling good and that his performance is top-notch. When you don’t have to worry about that (weight cut), it’s super simple. We can give his as much energy and food as he needs based on the requirements of the performance. Obviously, we’re not really cutting this fight, so it’s all about performance, which is fun. It makes my job fun. This time, we’re going to take a look at everything and make sure it’s on point and he’s giving the body what it needs…There are so many things that can hinder your performance. For instance, if someone eats too close to a fight, what happens is that the body is sending blood to my stomach and is literally trying to do two things at once. It’s trying to digest food and it’s also trying to give you the oxygenate the blood need to perform in the actual fights…The thing about Conor is that he stays lean all the time and is very disciplined. And the leaner you are, the easier the weight cut is going to be, because muscle holds a lot of water.
Page: McGregor should aim for long fight
In an interview with Ball Street, Page offers advice to McGregor.
I feel what did him in was his ‘Mystic Mac’ thing of knocking guys out. He should never have gone in there looking for the knockout. Diaz reminds me of that episode of The Simpsons where Homer Simpson gets hit loads, hits back once and wins. Next time go in and try and beat him over five rounds, say to yourself that it’s going to go the distance. The ego took a hold. He is better and more competent as a stand-up artist, and I think he can replicate that first round, but don’t burn yourself out – just keep tagging. Aim for the fourth and fifth round. Nate Diaz isn’t going to take him down. The reason he got to the ground was because a wobbled Conor went for his own takedown…Keep hitting and moving. It might not be a spectacular fight with an amazing finish, but you will get the result that you need. Everyone’s different, so don’t fight them all the same way. Don’t try to finish him. If he takes a little backstep he can win that fight – quite comfortably as well.
Kavanagh: McGregor nearly went off the rails
Kavanagh says that, after his loss to Sitenkov in 2008, McGregor stopped attending SBG and went missing for a few weeks. Concerned by his behaviour, McGregor’s mother, Margaret, called Kavanagh to try and get him to convince her son to return to training and steer him back on track.
Yeah (it was big). Maybe you and me wouldn’t be talking now (if it didn’t happen). At that stage, he’d already disappeared for four or six weeks. I kind of just moved on with what I was doing and sort of half forgot about him if I’m being honest. Over the years, I must have had what must be over tens of thousands of guys come through my doors at this stage. You get these little flames of enthusiasm and sparks of possibilities but then they fizzle out for the 99.9-per-cent. So, I think I was already putting him down to being one of those could’ve been type people. And maybe if I hadn’t of driven up that night to try give us one more chance, maybe he would’ve been a has been and be that guy on the bar stool talking about ‘I could’ve been that guy, I could’ve done this.’ So yeah, I’m glad his mother called me and I’m of course very happy that I went up there and we worked it out and he came back. And since then, we’ve been a fairly rock-solid team.
Spends $300,000 on training
McGregor says he has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on training for UFC 202. The camp is based out of a six-bedroom mansion that sits on a two-acre lot, and includes a masseuse, a performance coach, a movement coach, a nutritionist and sparring partners. Grappling partner Dillon Danis, from New York, was flown to Dublin, then Las Vegas. Irish middleweight boxer Conor Wallace was brought in to mimic Diaz’s striking style. The camp also includes a videographer.
With gyms, cars, transport, flights, accommodations — I’d estimate we’re talking a $300,000 camp here. This is a big, big expense — but what I make is big. So, in the bigger picture, it’s rather small…This is most certainly not another fight,” McGregor said. “I have done things differently this fight. We have been going to war every single day in the gym in preparation for this. So, this is a war to me. It’s nice to have this feeling that the man [Diaz] will show up. The man I’m set to face will be there. So, the preparation has been there… I’m happy [the loss against Diaz] happened, because it forced me to look at my preparation, look at the route I was going on. It forced me to reassess…Make no mistake, this one means a hell of a lot to me. This one means more than any amount of money or gold combined. I gave up a hell of a lot of money, gave up Hollywood opportunities, for this contest. I wanted to restrict the media. That should tell you how much this fight means to me. I’ve been preparing accordingly.
McGregor, Portal work balance and footwork in the lead up
The Mac Life releases a video of McGregor working on footwork and balance with Portal.
The Takedown
In this episode of The Takedown, McGregor discusses his confident mindset, career success, gift of gab, and his future in the UFC.
I believe my words will intimidate. My opponents in the American media label it ‘trash talk’. I label it ‘speaking fact’. I just like to assess the situation, I like to look at my opponent. If someone asks me I speak my mind, I tell the truth…At the end of the day we get in a fight. I don’t have to do anything to intimidate these people – they already are intimidated…I can tell when a guy is struggling with it..If no-one asks I wouldn’t say. This is the fight business, and people want to know what we are thinking, and what we are going to do to our opponent. …It’s real. If it’s not real I won’t say it…I honestly believe I can read the mind better than the movement. ‘Know yourself to know others,’ is what Bruce Lee said. Maybe to the naked eye it might seem like these people are confident. But I see different.
Slaps McGregor’s photo
During a panel discussion Alvarez talks about wanting to fight McGRegor or Diaz in November. When taunted by the host holding a McGregor mask:
It’s hard to be intimidated by a guy who gets his suits at Build-a Bear…Hey, anywhere, Ireland, wherever he’d want to do it…He may not even win. My thought is he’s not going to win. [Me and Nate Diaz] almost got into a fight outside of the cage. I was fighting his teammate and he didn’t like it. I wouldn’t mind settling that score. Either one of those guys.
When the host asks,”Do you feel nothing towards this face?” Alvarez slaps the mask away.
Get this guy out of my face! He’s just a blank face to me.
Reigns calls out McGregor
Reigns talks about McGregor’s recent comments about WWE wrestlers.
Well y’know for me it’s just a silly thing. We have nothing to do with him. My whole life, if he didn’t exist, it wouldn’t change anything with my world at all…The kid can fight, there’s no doubt about it, he’s a trained martial artist, but he runs his mouth a lot. And we come from a world now where everyone learns how to run their mouth before they can defend it. You can come up in my locker room if you want. Ain’t no tellin’ if you’re gonna leave.
Alvarez targeting McGregor or Diaz
Alvarez says he targeting either Diaz or McGregor for his next opponent at lightweight.
I’ve got my eye on Nate Diaz-Conor (McGregor). I would love to the fight the winner of that whole crew…I keep getting asked by all the media — you fight all the best guys in the world and at the end of the day the media asks ‘what about Conor McGregor?’ so I’m sick of being asked about his name.Him or Nate. I have some history with Nate, too. Either one of them.
Details McGregor training
In an article for The 42, Kavanagh details his approach to McGregor’s training.
We’ve been following that pattern now for what feels like a long time — about 19 weeks in total come fight night. Although it seems like it has been a long process, we’re definitely seeing the fruits of our labour. There are certain fitness tests that we have numbers on, and the improvements from when Conor began to where he is now have been dramatic. There’s no comparing this training camp to any we have done previously. I can’t stress enough how different this has been. As many of you will probably already know, routine hasn’t been something you would have associated with Conor’s preparations in the past. But this has been like nothing we’ve done before and it’s going to be a massive help for his next number of fights, not just this one…We’re learning about this art as we go along…I strongly believe that will manifest itself in Las Vegas in 12 days’ time…I’ve often spoken of how drastically Conor improves with each training camp, and while there’s certainly no denying that he gets better for every fight, this has undoubtedly been his biggest leap forward yet…Patience will be essential for Conor in this fight. I’m veering towards a fourth-round finish in his favour, following an opening three rounds which I expect him to dominate in the same manner he did in the first frame of the previous fight.
Dos Anjos: I’d have killed McGregor in UFC 196
Dos Anjos responds to McGregor’s claim that he would be a two-weight world champion if the Brazilian had not pulled out of their March fight.
If I fought Rafael dos Anjos, if he didn’t p**** out of that last one and showed up, the shots I cracked Nate with in the first eight minutes would’ve KO’d Rafael dos Anjos stiff. That’s no question. I would be sitting here right now as a two-weight world champion.
@TheNotoriousMMA if You had fought me you wouldn't be 2 division champ,you would be dead.Look what a out of shape Diaz did to U #I'llbeback
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) August 8, 2016
Responds to McGregor
Roman Reigns tweets in response to McGregor’s statements about WWE.
Your the size of my leg. Shut up. https://t.co/fBVEdf8hE1
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) August 7, 2016
Responds to McGregor
Angle tweets in response to McGregor’s statements about WWE.
very funny little guy. Why don't you get your head out of Dana White's ass
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) August 7, 2016
Responds to McGregor
Sheamus tweets in response to McGregor’s statements about WWE.
Never show a Jack Russell a mirror. It thinks it's a majestic Irish Wolfhound. Really, just an annoying wee yapper trying to sell tickets.
— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) August 7, 2016
Responds to McGregror
Banks tweets in response to McGregor’s statements about WWE.
Bring it https://t.co/e9guQ9bi0f
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) August 7, 2016
Henry: McGregor should give up belt
Henry, Edgar’s coach, says McGregor who give up his featherweight belt.
You know Conor was holding up the belt, he had the belt you know. I think it’s baloney how he fought Nate in his second fight which he got knocked up on, striking and on the ground. Why a rematch for a guy holding the belt? Just give the belt up. We wanted the belt at the time, we could care less about Conor and what he thinks he is or the UFC and what they think of him. The only thing was that he held the belt, everything else, I could care less about that guy.
Clarifies WWE comments
McGregor clarifies his comments about WWE wrestlers.
I didn't mean no disrespect to the @wwe fans. What I meant to say was that I'd slap the head off your entire roster. And twice on Sunday's.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 7, 2016
Kavanagh: McGregor looking for dominance
In an interview on Fox Sports, Coach Kavanagh says McGregor is looking to make a statement.
I really feel it has to be a very dominant performance to make the type of statement that Conor wants to make. For me, round 1 was quite one sided. I’m pretty sure anybody would have scored that round for Conor. That’s the way I see it going this time. Even more in Conor’s favor, because there was some exchanges in that first round that he was still figuring out which way Nate moves. Whereas now it’s been a fairly obsessive couple of months where we feel we have a very strong game plan to counter everything he does. I expect it to be one sided, but how long as it lasts, it’s difficult to predict. But as long as it does last, I expect it to be one sided.
Says WWE fighters are ‘pussies’
In the conference call with Nate Diaz, McGregor is asked if he would consider cross-promotion between UFC and WWE
For the most part, those WWE guys are pussies. They’re messed up pussies, if you ask me. Fair play to Brock [Lesnar], he got in and fought but, at the end of the day, he’s juiced up to the f—— eyeballs. How can I respect that? The other guy [CM Punk] hasn’t fought yet, so I don’t know about him yet…I mean, there are some dons in that wrestling game. The McMahon’s? They’re dons. Triple H is a don, The Rock is a don, but the rest of them are f—— pussies. I happen to enjoy it, but that’s a little more show business. This is the fight business.
