Roddy: McGregor’s leg is 100%, predicts UFC 205 KO victory
Striking coach Owens says McGregor’s leg is fine:
He (Conor) was back in the gym moving about two days afterwards in Vegas. You saw the amount of kicks he threw in the Diaz fight and he obviously just caught a few of them on the knee and he just really badly bruised his shin. There was no serious issue with the foot. I think they found a small fracture from a while back but it was nothing. The shin itself was really bashed up from after the fight, but within a couple of days he was back training and moving around. There’s no issues there and he’s 100% – he was a couple of days after.
And that McGregor will win easily against Alvarez:
No disrespect to Alvarez – he’s a great fighter, but he moves very similar to a lot of the guys that Conor has fought. Even when Conor has fought strikers, they’ve all become that type of fighter – when Conor lands they become a panicked wrestler. That’s what’s going to happen. Conor lands clean and when it comes to a few exchanges Alvarez is going to feel the difference in accuracy and power and he’s going to try and wrestle…Alvarez is a great wrestler so there will be stuff we will be working on with Conor to make sure Alvarez can’t keep ahold of him and can’t keep him against the fence. Conor is going to land and it’s going to be a matter of time before Alvarez goes to sleep to be totally honest.
Roddy, Kavanagh interview
The Mac Life releases a video interview with Roddy and Kavanagh. Roddy:
At 70 kilos (155 pounds) [McGregor] is at the best weight that suits his body”, Roddy explains. “For me just working on the pads with him, he just seems a lot sharper, a lot faster. I don’t feel like he’s lost any power and he’s gained a bit of speed. This is the weight he should fight at and should have always fought at. I think we’re going to see the best Conor.
Kavanagh:
Routine, routine, routine. This was always my way. Conor is more flowy and artistic and does things as he feels is the right time to do them but he has seen the benefit of it as well. For the last few months now, I could tell you six weeks in advance what today’s session was going to be. It’s paid dividends. It did in the last fight and we’ve continued it on to this one.
UFC Behind-the-scenes video release
McGregor’s striking coach releases a behind-the-scenes video of UFC 205, showing McGregor’s pre-fight conversation with Big John McCarthy, the walkout (5:20) and Alvarez approaching McGregor’s corner to congratulate and shake hands with his entire team (7:50). Roddy:
[The fight] was just too easy.
Roddy: Woodley or Diaz ideal for next McGregor fight
McGregor’s striking coach says he would like to see him fight for a third belt, preferring Woodley or Diaz over Nurmagomedov. Roddy:
Maybe [Tyron] Woodley,. For me, for him to go up and compete for a third belt [welterweight], maybe Woodley. [Nate] Diaz again is another great one. I think it’s what fans would want to see. They want to see something special again, the Diaz fight again is special. The Woodley fight is special…You can’t really doubt Khabib at this stage. He’s a phenomenal grappler and a phenomenal wrestler. But I don’t know whether the excitement is there, you know? Obviously for Conor it’s about the pay-per-views. It’s about the money. Whether Khabib will hit the pay-per-views for him I just don’t know…He poses a different threat so it would be good to sort of work out what strikes are going to land on him. He can be hit as well, I will say that. He got hit a bit in his last fight.
Roddy: McGregor ‘more serious’ about Mayweather
Striking coach Roddy says there has been a change in McGregor’s attitude to a potential fight with Mayweather.
He would mainly bring up Floyd in passing, but over the past month or two it’s started to become more serious. It was just chitchat before but now everything is a lot more direct. Saying that, I still have no idea if this fight can ever happen, but it definitely seems to be getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.
As to McGregor’s performance:
We all know what happens when Conor lands that left hand. It doesn’t matter who it is, if that hand lands on your chin you’re going to sleep. It’s kind of like a trade off between their two skill sets. We know that Conor can knock anyone stiff, but will he be able to land a solid connection on Mayweather, a guy who is probably the greatest defensive fighter of all time? Everybody has found that very difficult, but Conor poses a very different threat. Any time Mayweather has taken a serious shot, it’s always been against a southpaw. Conor is obviously a southpaw and he will be coming in and attempting to hit Mayweather from angles he probably hasn’t seen before because they come from different disciplines. Conor will be a lot bigger too. This is going to be a tricky fight for Mayweather because it won’t be like anything he has seen before in a traditional boxing match. Conor moves in such a unique way, it would be nearly impossible for Mayweather to get someone to replicate his style, especially because none of us have ever seen Conor contest a professional boxing match before.
Roddy ready to prep McGregor for Mayweather fight
McGregor’s striking coach, Roddy, says that after the Artem Lobov fight he will start helping McGregor prepare for Mayweather.
Training now officially starts hard when I get back on Tuesday. I was talking to Conor over the weekend and we’re getting going. I don’t think it’s officially signed yet but it will be soon enough. That’s going to be an exciting one…Conor comes with a different type of style. Obviously, it’s Floyd Mayweather and that’s going to be the challenge but at the end of the day Conor only needs to land once. I’ve said this in every interview. He only needs to land once and you can’t go against those odds…You watch him spar and a new person will come in and within one or two exchanges, Conor can read the guy and he can tell what shots are coming. I think that is going to be the same scenario when it comes to Mayweather.
McGregor training video with Roddy
McGregor posts a training video, sparring against Roddy.
Like the late, great Bruce Lee once said: “When you are talking about fighting, as it is, with no rules, well then baby, you’d better train every part of your body”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTXkyCiAE6G/
Roddy: The longer Mayweather takes to sign, the better it is for us
Roddy, McGregor’s striking coach, says he wants Mayweather to take his time signing up to fight the Irishman.
He’s very happy with the deal. I was just with Conor yesterday for some training and he’s just excited. He just wants to get it on. I’m sure he’s happy with whatever he has signed, but I really think he’s more excited about the fight in general. To be able to do something like this unbelievable…Conor wants to do things that have never been done before. This is just another moment in his career where he defies all the odds and gets the job done…He is all about success. He wants to generate more income than any other athlete on the planet. Last year I think he was talking about trying to close in on Ronaldo this year. I don’t know if he will beat him or not, but I wouldn’t rule it out.
As for the timing:
We’ve been told certain dates, but it will definitely be this year. Fingers crossed, once the other side gets things done everybody will be happy and then it will be another big extravaganza for fans…We’re training now. The longer it takes Mayweather to sign, the better it is for us. We get more time to study him the longer he drags it out. We can get people in to help us if needs be. I see the negotiation period as just more time for Conor to immerse himself in boxing.
Roddy: McGregor to floor Mayweather mid fight
Speaking on The MMA Hour, McGregor’s striking coach says the Irishman will be able to beat Mayweather.
I think he’s gonna put him away. He’s gonna KO him. It’ll take a couple of rounds…Conor does these exceptional things all the time. If he says he’s gonna knock him out, then he’ll knock him out..I think mid-fight. We need to be able to see what Mayweather is gonna come in with…Conor has an exceptional ability to read fighters. Read where they’re going, and read what their gonna do…Look, there’s no doubt in my mind. It’s gonna be one of the most insane fights ever…[Gloves are not a problem]. Conor hits like a middleweight…He’s got cat-like reflexes. He’s so quick on his slips and pulls, and he’s very accurate as well.
Kavanagh, Roddy and Lobov will be at McGregor’s ringside
Roddy, McGregor’s striking coach, says that he will be on duty at McGregor’s side during the Mayweather fight, and that the fighter will also be supported by Lovov, his sparring partner, and coach Kavanagh.
At the moment, it’s going to be me, John, possibly Artem and I think there’s four. Obviously he’ll have to get his own cut man and stuff like that. He hasn’t sorted that just yet. But it’ll definitely be myself, John and Artem at the moment…We’re not bringing anybody in as of yet, but who knows down the line…We’re gonna head over the states in the next couple of weeks. But at the moment, we’re in Dublin, we’re all working together. We came up with a game plan that we think can shock the world and we’re gonna stick to that for the time being.
McGregor’s striking coach: ‘Conor is killing it in sparring’
Roddy, who is McGregor’s striking coach, says he is happy with the progress made so far.
Conor is killing it in sparring. He’s not getting touched, you know what I mean? He can do as many rounds as we want because he’s doing so well. One thing I’ve noticed in camp is that week after week, he becomes twice the fighter he was. I’ve said this before, talking about MMA, that every fight, the ‘New Conor’ would smash the ‘Old Conor.’ Well, that’s happening every week this camp. Knowing what he’s doing, and how much he’ll improve in the next four weeks, I’m excited for people to see it…I honestly believe no one has a better brain in combat sports than Conor. I’ve watched him for 16 years. I’ve watched every single person that’s come into the gym and it doesn’t matter what level they are — straight up boxers, high-level amateurs, Thai boxers, world-class MMA fighters — I’ve watched Conor read them and pick them apart time after time. You can’t coach that. I’ve never seen anybody else able to do it. There’s no doubt to me he can do it to any man. I don’t think people know what’s coming on the 26th. I honestly don’t. I don’t think anybody realizes what is coming.
McGregor’s team: Gloves offer is ‘idle threat’
Roddy, McGregor’s striking coach, responds to Mayweather’s call to use 8 oz. gloves.
Floyd is trying to make an idle threat by saying he’ll wear 8oz gloves. Technically, he can’t. We expect 10oz gloves but, on our side, these are minuscule things that mean nothing. Whatever. Conor is used to fighting in 4oz gloves [in the UFC] so it doesn’t matter to him. Floyd may have affected previous opponents but, against us, he’s wasting his time by thinking up petty ideas. He’s wasting his own energy.”
Roddy: McGregor gets better every day, every week
Roddy, McGregor’s striking coach, praises his fighter’s progress.
We’re all very happy and very excited. Conor improves on a daily basis. The Conor of today is better than the Conor of yesterday. He gets better every day, every week. We’ve got another three weeks, so there will be huge improvements again. He is such a good student. He has a great ability to pick up on things. I don’t know how he does it. I’ve never seen it before from any student. From the start of camp to now, he has improved phenomenally and he will continue to improve over the next couple of weeks. It’s so exciting.
Roddy: ‘We believe we can shock the world’
McGregor is ready ‘to shock the world’ says his striking coach Roddy. Roddy says McGregor has no doubt in his belief that he can create one of the greatest upsets of all time in a boxing ring.
I think there will be a little bit of feeling out most definitely when the bell rings. I’ve been with Conor many, many years now and we have brought in everybody over the years. Check out this guy, Conor. World class Thai boxer. Never been touched by anybody. Conor goes in, he throws a few shots, figures the guy out, he reads the patterns and then knows exactly what they are going to do. He knows before they know. Then he puts the shots in that apply and they fall over…Ok, Conor, we’ve got this tae kwon do guy. He moves a totally different way. He does this and does that. He goes in, moves around with him, figures him out, puts the shots in that apply, guy falls over…We’ve done this with amateur boxers, professional boxers. Every single person that has walked in the gym and I’ve watched him spar, it takes him a minute or two. It depends how good they are. But it takes no more than a minute for him to figure them out and put the shots in that apply. When you see this happen over and over again, you can’t doubt him.
Coach Roddy: ‘I was heartbroken’
Coach Roddy appears on The Late Late Show, to talk about how difficult it was for McGregor and the whole team when the fight didn’t go their way.
I was heartbroken. I don’t only work with Conor, Conor’s a good friend of mine. We’re training partners and sparring partners for many years, and then I took up the coaching role. When you see what somebody puts in — the amount of hours he puts in, the amount of sacrifices he makes and the team makes — when you see all of that, and you’re all working together for one moment, for that night, and it doesn’t go your way sometimes — it’s heartbreaking. I was very upset over the fight, because I know how bad he wants it, and I know how bad the team wanted it.”
Coach Roddy: I’d love to see McGregor-Khabib by end of year
Speaking at the opening of his new SBG Charlestown facility in Dublin, Ireland, coach Roddy talks about McGregor’s return and the potential of a bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
There’s been no specific training. But it’s brewing nicely…It seems to be what the fans want, the fight the fans are looking for now. Conor loves to fight. Khabib is potentially the No. 1 contender. I see flaws in his game that we could capitalise on. Id’ love to see the fight happen before the end of the year…I don’t know how far along it is. I don’t know if there’s negotiations. But I can feel it in the air…[Conor] is always in the gym…Nerves affect some people, but Conor embraces it. He’ll go in there and it’ll be like he never left.
