McGregor: ‘I fell out of love with the game’

Former UFC champ champ Conor McGregor does the best publicity in combat sports, but ahead of his fight Saturday night vs. lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the Irishman has done precious little of it. However, he just released an extended interview on his The Mac Life page.

I fell out of love with the game for a bit, went off on to my own thing, said McGregor, as transcribed by Ryan Harkness for MMA Mania. Had many things going on. Now I’m back. I’m hungry to compete. And we’re here right on the cusp of it. Making weight, handling the media obligations. And that’s it.

I spent my entire life’s work to win those two world titles. Those two UFC world titles. I set out a goal, I put everything, absolutely everything, sacrificed so much times, sacrificed so much to gain those world titles. And then as soon as I win the second world title, I wasn’t even offered a featherweight contest and the featherweight title was taken off of me and handed back to a man that I had a crazy history with.

I traveled the world with a two year build up. He ended up pulling out last minute. Blah blah blah blah blah, when I end the fight, I knock him out in 13 seconds and then they give the belt back as soon as I walk out the Octagon in Madison Square Garden. And then like, what, about a month, a month or two, the lightweight belt is stripped from me also.

So these kind of things irritate me. Especially seeing what way it goes, who the belts are given to, who the people are that are challenging the belts. Who the person who has the belt is facing to get the belt. Many things irritate me in the game, and just watching it unfold, I just became more hungry to come back and show who the real king is.

Most fighters profess to not consider what comes after the title fight ahead of them, but McGregor is not most fighters.

I’m already mapping out what’s next in my head, he said, as transcribed by MMA Mania. I know Dustin and Nate is competing. I know the 170 pound belt has also just been defended and I know Tyron, the current welterweight champion, is itching for that one. Like they all fookin’ are. I know Georges is in there test cutting to 155. I know everyone’s around looking for it. So I’m here and I’m ready so let’s see what happens. I’ve got my eye on everyone.

McGregor would even take a late change of opponent.

When that [Anthony Pettis vs. Tony Ferguson] got announced as co-main, I was like man, if Khabib bottles this fight – like he has bottled many fights before – if he bottles this one, I don’t think I give a f*** about, no disrespect to those other two, I don’t think I give a f*** about those other two, said McGregor. To step in … I think I would probably have just disappeared back into the shadows and got that man [Khabib] somewhere else outside of here.

But now that I’m here and I’m back and I’m close, I think if he didn’t show up, I think I would take a fight against either one of those.