White compares McGregor talk to Muhammad Ali
In an interview with Olivi, White praises McGregor.
At press conferences and doing media he’s great at it. He’s the best. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone in the sport ever – other than Ali – who is so entertaining, can take a press conference and turn it into a must-see. His timing is perfect. He’s witty, he’s smart, he’s hilarious. But that’s what happens when you’re a superstar. That’s the difference between superstars and not superstars…When you sit down and you listen to him and he’s joking…he’s a very contagious person…Do I give Conor a little more leash than I give some other people? Absolutely. Because Conor steps up, he fights, puts all of his chips on the table. He’s one of a kind. Conor’s awesome.
#ICYMI: @UFC President @danawhite sat down for an exclusive in-depth interview with @MeganOlivi in the latest Exchange on #UFCFIGHTPASS! pic.twitter.com/CwfNbfG3Vc
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) April 25, 2017
Post-fight interview
McGregor is interviewed by Olivi, talking about his win at UFC 205 over Alvarez.
I feel good. I said it and I did it. I knew it was going to be tough. He took some shots but kept coming. But you can’t keep taking them shots against me. I’m too precise…I knew I had hurt him and I was thinking ‘How many smacks could he take?’ I know it’s probably a rough one for him and his team…Nothing for respect for him. It doesn’t take me long Megan, one shot and you’re on a losing battle then.
What’s next:
I’m about to be a daddy early next year. I’m freaking out. I don’t know what I’m doing, but we’ll see. I’ve got all the cards now so someone has to come present something really sweet to keep me sweet, because I keep proving what I’m saying. I am the reason the company was sold for $4.2 billion, that’s not the word of a lie….I’ve got 40 big announcements in my mind. I’m about to be a daddy, so that’s a big enough announcement for now.
Open to 170:
I’m open for it. We’ll see. Let’s talk.
Post-fight interview
Alvarez is interviewed by Olivi, talking about his defeat at UFC 205 by McGregor.
[I’m] disappointed. I didn’t fight a good fight. I went in there with a plan. I didn’t stick to the plan and I paid for it. [The plan] was more to kick and wrestle…I almost got lulled into his pace and got out of my own pace. He did a good job, hats off to him.
After the first drop:
The shot he hit me with. I don’t remember it really. I just remember being on the floor…I don’t feel like he hurt me like crazy. Kind of a flash. He just boxed too much. Too much boxing.
The Exchange interview
McGregor talks with Olivi as part of UFC’s The Exchange interview series. He talks about winning his first ESPY, what it’s like being in New York and Eddie Alvarez, the Mac Life F.A.S.T. system, Drake, and his ‘Mystic Mac’ prediction:
Parts of me kind of hopes he can last, ‘cos I’m sprinting in round five. I’m literally balls to the wall in round five, and there’s fresh bodies coming in. I’m still pushing harder than anyone in the fifth and final round. Part of me want to show that to the fans, to everyone. I just don’t think he has that in him. He’s too easily hit. You can smack him from anywhere. I have everything on him, reach height, everything. I don’t see him getting out of the round. If he does I’ll take my hat off to him.
Revenge is Coming interview
UFC releases a video of Olivi interviewing McGregor. After his UFC 196 defeat:
I sit in a dark room and plot my return…You just got to embrace it. it’s a crazy game. anything can happen. I just broke it down into small pieces, analysed the fight…I’ve watched the fight many times. I don’t know how many but I’ve certainly studied it, very much so…I wanted that rematch instantly.
On training:
Y’know you’ve got to be switched on for five minutes. It’s a five minute high paced round. There was a time when I was just showing up to the gym. There was no class or session. I was just rolling into the gym, and I’d train with whoever was there. If I saw a jiu-jitsu guy there — let’s roll. If I saw a boxing guy, let’s box. There was no real start, no finish, no structure. That was beneficial at some point, but when you’re preparing for a high-paced round, you need to prepare. You need to be on and off.
Diaz: ‘I’m really taking over’ if I beat McGregor
In an interview with Olivi, Diaz says the fast rematch with McGregor is the UFC’s way of erasing the results of the first fight so that the biggest moneymaker in the sport can regain the spotlight..
When it first got booked, I was like, ‘Man, they want to get me right back in there again and try to win this back and weed me out again…Can I sit back for eight months and soak up some popularity and exposure and go on vacation and do what I gotta do? They were like, ‘We want this,’ and I was like why so quick? But I was like, whatever, and then the deals got done.” [To win] I’m going to prepare, that’s about it. We’re going to see. The same thing I always say: My objective is to win, I’m going to train hard and try to get it done. I believe I’m the superior martial artist and I’m just going to go in there and get the job done. My plan is to win and do good, work hard and win the fight.
UFC 189: Backstage interview
McGregor is interviewed by Olivi backstage after the fight.
I’m overwhelmed. It was a lot of work to get here…it’s been a long road, a lot of hard work. A lot of dedication…He’s a phenomenal athlete. Takedown isn’t enough in this business. I knew he was tired. I was winning every exchange, so I knew he was breaking bit by bit. I figured it would happen like that, it would be up and down, but I wold be getting the better of the exchanges. And I put him down.
