McGregor identifies reason he lost to Nurmagomedov, and why he wants rem…
“To do it time after time and year after year, that’s when the motivation kind of dips, that’s when the dedication kind of lacks, and that’s when people creep up.”
Former UFC champ champ Conor McGregor took part in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Chicago, and conducted an impromptu Q&A with fans, that centered in no small part on current lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov.
He’s a formidable opponent, wrestled bears since he was a kid, has put a lot of time in his standup work, said McGregor, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. He was a lot sharper than I anticipated it was going to be. I’ve got to respect that. It was his big moment.
It’s easy to do this once. It’s very easy for someone to be given something and to do it just one time. You put your absolute all into it. But to do it time after time and year after year, that’s when the motivation kind of dips, that’s when the dedication kind of lacks, and that’s when people creep up. That’s what I feel has happened here. I didn’t give him his respect, I marched forward, I didn’t give a s***, I got caught with that overhand. If I was switched on, I would not get caught with that overhand in any form of combat. I’m very confident, very eager, very in shape, let’s keep it going.
Imagine almost dropping someone – because he almost got me, but he didn’t drop me – I got back to my feet, threw shots, threw a knee, and then he shot [for a takedown]. Imagine almost dropping someone with a picture-perfect shot, a picture-perfect punch, and then shooting for the legs. You almost got the fight done and you shoot for the legs?! Stand up and fight.
When you beat a man convincingly, it’s not really necessary to go back for a rematch but when there’s dispute, there must be a rematch. There was dispute in my last one. I slapped his brother and his cousin on top of the cage, he tried to jump out and run. This is not over, so there’s dispute, there has to be a rematch.
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McGregor is suspended until April for his role in the UFC 229 brawl. He was expected to fight in July, vs. Donald Cerrone, but Cowboy now fights Al Iaquinta, leaving McGregor opponent TBA.
Nurmagomedov is self-extending his own suspension, in solidarity with his teammates who received longer suspensions, and will not be fighting until November at the earliest.