Jesus, El Chapo and money. What else can bring them together other than when McGregor Promotions rolls into town?
At the press conference for UFC 197, which takes place on March 5th in Las Vegas, Nevada, Conor McGregor was firing on all cylinders. His main target was future opponent and UFC Lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos, who defends his belt against the Irishman at the event.
Just like the Go Big press conference held last year, McGregor (who arrived 30 minutes late to the conference), stole the show with his witticisms, his insults and his one-liners. Of course, underneath the bravado, were his thoughts on the fight and his new opponent.
“He has a tenseness in his body when he loads,” McGregor said. “We will enter and he will try to close into that distance and enter into the pocket, but he will take some strikes really, really early. He also dips in certain ways… it’s honestly like a slower, sloppier, more stuffed version of Jose Aldo. I feel I will guide him onto some strikes, and as he has been KO’d before, I will KO him once again.
“March 5th I will behead Rafael Dos Anjos, I will drag his head through the streets of Rio De Janeiro, through a parade of people I’d imagine. It’d become a national holiday also, I would imagine.”
It’s been discussed on GMS before that McGregor came into 2016 with a bundle of options, and the Featherweight champion was asked why he chose to challenge for another belt instead of defending his new title.
“Frankie [Edgar] has a little bit of desperation about him,” McGregor said. “He went 0-2 at lightweight, got the chance to fight for the Featherweight title and got the head slapped off him and then now he’s running around begging, it has the stink of desperation all of it. So I’m just gonna leave him sit for a while.
“I liked the way Nate [Diaz] came in his last fight, the previous fight before that he came in sloppy, really badly out of shape. Whining and complaining about everything and then came in and put on a performance like that, he went back to the bottom of the pile. But he came in this last time in shape, he played the game a little bit more, so you know I can give a little bit more respect to that and we’ll see where it goes.”
So, an easy decision then?
“This man across from me has a title,” McGregor said. “He has nothing else but that, he is a free TV fighter. He has nothing else to offer me except that gold belt, so that was the simple decision.”
Dos Anjos, for his part, attempted to ask all the questions put to him. Attempted is the apt description, for during all of his responses, the champion would be interrupted by McGregor.
‘I’m a complete fighter man,” said Dos Anjos. “I fight standing, I fight on the ground. I think my history talks by itself, I beat Ben Henderson, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone twice and I fought better guys, I fought taller guys…”
Then, as per usual, he was interrupted.
“You can talk about your wins and losses, but at the end of the day you’ve tasted that darkness of being KO’d stiff and you will taste it again on March 5,” said McGregor.
Many speculated that the UFC would want their Irish superstar on the upcoming event UFC 200, and should he take damage in March, it was wondered if he’d be able to turn around fast enough for a July appearance.
McGregor, unsurprisingly, is unconcerned.
“I believe I will dust Rafael inside one minute,” McGregor said. “He is a slower, sloppier version of [Jose] Aldo. He’s like a bum version of Aldo. I believe in absolutely everything, I believe inside one minute I will dust him. I will exit the contest fresh, I will cash the check, I will sign the next contract for UFC 200 [at] the brand new MGM, and we’ll go again.
“Listen, cut out all [the media obligations], and I’d go through the whole roster,” McGregor said. “I’m telling you right now, I’d whoop every single one of ‘em in four months if you cut out all this other shit. Bring me in, weigh me in and I’ll fight the next night, and wipe out the entire game inside four months.”
Just like his fight with Aldo, and his fight with Mendes before that, McGregor is by no means a secure winner against his opponent. Dos Anjos has all the qualities to pressure McGregor and beat him. Just like his previous fights, McGregor forces us to sit and wait to see if the talk is just that.
In Conor’s eyes though, it’s always so simple. It always is when his McGregor promotions rolls into town.
“2015 was my year,” he said. “2016 is also my year. Every year is my fucking year.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AQ7dlmZIFU
