‘What a fight’
Ramsay sends his congratulations to McGregor on Twitter.
What a fight ! Congrats @TheNotoriousMMA enjoy those #BURGR's tomorrow !!! #UFC202 pic.twitter.com/D1ZcPDNQiX
— Gordon Ramsay (@GordonRamsay) August 21, 2016
‘Congrats on grinding win’
Eubank sends congratulations to McGregor on Twitter.
Hell of a fight. Congrats to McGregor for grinding out the win over Diaz. Guess there's gota be a third now #Warriors
— Chris Eubank Jr (@ChrisEubankJr) August 21, 2016
Backstage interview
McGregor gives a backstage interview. On what he said to Diaz.
You’re a f-ckin’ absolute warrior. Respect. We’ll do it again.
Will trilogy be his next fight?
Probably not. The belt situation is lingering. I’ve gotta talk about what’s next. I’m speaking to new people right now. There’s a lot of options. And some might not be this sport.
About Diaz comments that he was ‘running away’:
He’s a big boy. A big volume puncher. I had to get out of there, being the beats down and settle myself. But he’ll drop too. I was on my feet the whole time. I wasn’t wobbled or nothing… Fair play to him…The class was evident in the early rounds of that fight. His size and his durability came into it in the later rounds. But I’m the better fighter, it’s as simple as that.
Confirms shin injury, no broken foot
McGregor says he did not break his foot, but that he has a shin injury.
My shin. I kicked his knee about 40 times and it’s hurting me. That’s it just my shin, everything else is good. My ankle was actually a bit banged up coming into the fight. We were practicing leg kicks in camp so it was a little bit swollen coming in but it’s the shin. I kicked his knee clean, I think it was in the first round and then I just kept kicking so I’m feeling it now, but other than that I am perfect.
Post-fight interview
Diaz gives a post-fight interview.
I thought I won, at least three rounds to two. I didn’t even think that was a question. And they gave it to him. I’m not bitter, it’s all good. I got paid…He did a lot of running in that fight. He should have got a yellow card for that type of thing. I chased him round that thing. He was scared to engage. I feel like they should have taken points for that…To top it off I was injured coming into this fight. That ain’t some excuses. I hurt my knee about a month ago I wasn’t able to train jiu-jitsu for the last month. And then about two weeks after that I was sparring boxing and I really hurt my rib. That put me out of sparring. Not to make excuses, I got that all on videoed up. He should have finished me off. If I was fighting me I’d have took me clean out…I just stayed in one spot. He was running laps around me.
On the third fight at 155:
I’ve been at 155 my whole career! When Conor’s ready to do his thing again, no rush, take your time, go on vacation, or we can do it any time.
Did you enjoy it in there?
No. Look at my face.
Post-fight press conference
McGregor gives his first press conference after the fight.
It was not easy. It was a war. I’m happy it went that way. I got to show my heart in there.
On Diaz helping him up at the end.
He’s a class competitor. It’s intense in the build up and everything is real. If my team saw his team then something’s going down. We’ll regroup and gather up for another battle.
Is 170 done for you?
I wanna to get my abs back. I can’t get abs at this weight. Sometimes I feel I’m a bit of a fat belly. I’m going to go down weight. I’m the 145 pound champion. It will be on my terms this time. He was way bigger than the last time. I knew I was up agaisnt it. I was thinking this might be a mistake, but I said, f-ck it, I’ll train hard, be smart, learn from our mistakes and go in. But I belive that if we do it it’ll be 155, maybe for the belt.
On the leg kicks:
Fuck leg kicks. My leg is a bitch.
On the scoring
I felt I won the fight. 3-2 was a fair opinion. I won that fight and I’m happy with it. My respect to my opponent. He’s a hell of a fighter.
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White: An ‘epic fight’
White appears on ESPN to talk about McGregor-Diaz UFC 2o2.
It lived up to all my expectations, and exceeded it. I didn’t see that fight going five rounds, but it did. One minute it looked like Conor was gassed, and he got a second wind. Diaz got dropped a couple of times, looked like he was done, and he came back. It’s an absolute epic fight. [Conor] did what I thought he might do. He was chopping that leg. I thought he would go to the body a lot more.
On a third fight:
Well Connor has to defend his title or give it up…If I was Conor I would defend my title.
Kavanagh: ‘We did it’
Coach Kavanagh posts a picture to Instagram.
We did it @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/EXOaoSs9h8
— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) August 21, 2016
‘I found, honestly, the perfect lap’
Marquez says Rossi’s tow helped him secure the perfect lap in Czech GP qualifying.
I found, honestly, the perfect lap. I overtook in the last corner, but I had a small slipstream from Valentino and this helped me quite a lot to get pole position. I lost some time in the last corner, but the time that I gained during all of the lap with this small slipstream was much better. I didn’t expect to be on pole and I didn’t expect this lap time. Normally I would ride alone but this time I found a good slipstream and maybe this slipstream gave me pole.
Brno qualifying traffic ‘like central Rome’
Rossi comments on the traffic during Czech GP qualifying. Rossi was fourth after the first runs in qualifying, but was not able to improve on his second run.
I’m not happy because I have to start from the second row. It is a shame I wasn’t able to make one clear lap because we have a better potential – I think we could start from the front row. I started with the harder [front tyre] and I did already [1m]55.5[s] but I knew that I had half-a-second of margin because I could use the soft in the second exit. But unfortunately in the second exit everybody was waiting, I was stuck in the traffic. It was like staying in the centre of Rome, everybody opened the throttle and then was waiting and braking. It was a big disaster, I tried to make a lap but I was in the confusion.
Lesnar: ‘I take shits bigger than that kid’
Lesnar responds to McGregor’s WWE comments:
I take shits bigger than that kid. Come on. I know you kids all play f-cking video games and you live in this f-cking false sense of reality and shit. I’m two hundred and f-cking ninety pounds. This guys a hundred and forty-five pounds, if he’s lucky. If Conor McGregor wants to say some shit to me, and get his name out there more than he already has, by dropping my name, I got about ten f-cking words for him…Come here, face-to-face, Conor, and say it to my face. Otherwise leave me and the f-cking WWE out of it, because I came to your arena and kicked ass. Now, if you want, and if you’re so f-cking tough, come to our arena and try and kick some ass.
Talks about 13-Minute Workout
McGregor talks about his 13-minute training program, inspired by Portal, whose approach borrows elements of martial arts, dance, circus, athletics, somatics, and other disciplines. McGregor says he began studying Portal’s methods on YouTube late in 2013, and eventually reached out so they could work face-to-face.
People are so caught up in routine, doing the same thing over and over. I want to be an expert in many different things…[Working with Portal] I’ve learned new footwork patterns. I’ve learned how to find a lower center of gravity and found more angles to throw shots.”
White: McGregor, Diaz facing penalties for water bottle fight
White says that McGregor and Diaz may be sued, and may also face penalties for their water bottle fight. The Nevada State Athletic Commission will be in charge of issuing discipline.
The word is that in this thing, somebody was injured. So, there’s gonna be a lawsuit…Who knows how it’s gonna play out…I guarantee both of these guys are gonna get massive fines, and there’s probably going to be a hearing after the fight…[McGregor and Diaz] could be (facing) suspensions, community service, it’s gonna be ugly. … It’s going to cost them both a lot of money, a lot of headache and hassle. They’re both in big trouble.
Amazed he avoided crash
Marquez says he is amazed he was able to retain control of his bike when he nearly crashed in Free Practice.
When I lost the front, the first moment I thought, ‘this is a crash’. I was lucky because I could a stand [up] the bike a little bit, but the front was still closing. When I was there, I was with the knee pushing on the floor, and in the end I was able to save it. Sometimes I say you must be lucky to save that, but already many times [I’ve done this]… so something is there. How I do it I don’t know. But I hope to not repeat it in the race.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJSpRMQh8ez/
Big Show: I still love Conor McGregor
Big Show says that, despite his comments about WWE fighters, he still admires McGregor.
I’m a fan of Conor McGregor. I respect the work he’s done in the ring. I get it. He’s a trash talker. He likes to create headlines. I wish him all the best in all he does…This business is about entertaining folks and if people want to see the match, and he finds someone who wants to get in the ring with him, who takes exceptional offense to it, then anything can and will happen.
Apologizes
Lochte apologises for his behavior in Rio.
This was a situation that could have and should have been avoided. I accept responsibility for my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJSwyLJBoSH/
Says Brno track limits weren’t made clear
Rossi says riders were not adequately informed about the Czech GP track limits. Including Rossi, seven riders had lap times cancelled in first practice for using a small section of the Brno track surface at the end of the final corner’s exit kerb, which had been deemed off limits. Infringements against eight riders were also recorded in the second session, again including Rossi, with 12 different riders, including Marc Marquez, getting penalties over the course of the day. Riders will ask for the section to be painted red, to make the limit clear.
It was not clear, simply because nobody said anything to us, Usually the track limits is that if you go over the kerb, but in this case a lot of riders had the lap cancelled because the kerb finishes but we still have some asphalt. I understood the situation in the afternoon, so I tried to stay one metre inside, because I didn’t know that after the kerb that asphalt is off of the track.
Claims responsibility for attack
Islamic State claims responsibility for an attack on a traffic police post outside Moscow in which both attackers were killed, calling it revenge for Russia’s aerial bombing campaign in Syria. The militant group made the claim in a video in which the purported attackers say they want to take revenge for Russia killing Muslims in the Middle East.
Predicts ‘great fight to the end’
Rossi comments on his standing, going into the Czech Republisc GP:
It’s still very long because there are eight races and at this moment you can have seven riders who are very strong who can fight for the victory. It depends very much from one track to another, so we have to try to be competitive and try to always be on the top. For us it is a great shame that we already have this disadvantage compared to Marc because we did some mistakes and also we were a bit unlucky. We have a good potential but we are quite far, so at this moment for us we need to do also something extra because we have to go faster but we have always to take points. We have to take it race by race and try to do the maximum because I think from here to the end it will always be a great fight…Also the speed of the Hondas [will be a factor] with Marc but also [Dani] Pedrosa, who is very strong in Brno, so all the top guys are in good shape. It’s a great track, I like it a lot and it is the race of my first victory, which is something unforgettable.
‘F-ck Team Diaz’
McGregor appears at his final session for the media.
F-ck the Diaz brothers. F-ck those cockroaches…We came here ready for war, not to throw little bitch bottles and go runnin’. We’re here ready to fight, so let’s go! That fairy tale he had is coming to an end. He can be knocked out, and he will be knocked out…My legacy is set in stone. It was set in stone when Jose crumbled. This is something separate from this. I came in here for a straight fight…Like I said, Fuck team Diaz, and if you’re down with Team Diaz, then f-ck you too.
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