Are you impressed with Conor McGregor’s striking?
Owen Roddy has been the striking coach for ‘Notorious’ for over a decade, and vlogged all the way through the camp for UFC 202, right up to the latest episode – Fight Day. Two SBGi athletes fought that night, Artem Lobov and Conor McGregor, and the vlog covers both victors.
A lot happens on fight day …
Roddy takes the audience onto the fighter bus, through security, to the drug testing, and into Conor’s warm up area.
“It’s bigger than the house I grew up in,” quipped one fighter. There is the standard pre fight meeting at elite events between the referee and the fighter, and further media duties, to gather video for the pre fight introductions.
Then it is into the arena with Lobov, who showed that what they are doing works.
A nattily dressed McGregor shows up to congratulate the victorious Lobov, and then it’s time to get taped up. ‘Big’ John McCarthy shows up for a little talk with McGregor and his camp.
McCarthy goes over exactly what constitutes “the back of the head” in Nevada – basically, if your fist hits some ear, you are good. McCarthy also said that if you take the fight to the mat, it is your responsibility to further the action; in other words don’t “lay n pray.” And McCarthy also went through what to do if you are hurt – show that you still want to be there, and how.
For the hardcore fan, it is a window into the crucial details of what happens in the final seconds of a fight. If McCarthy tells you to “move, get out,” if you don’t change what you are doing, and simply continue to shell up, the fight will be stopped. It doesn’t have to work, but you have to try.
Then it is on to the warm ups and the way the fight opened is exactly as planned, with the opponent throwing long jabs from the outside, countered with right low kicks.
Then it is 5 4 3 2 1 into the arena, as Sinead sings.
We have all seen the fight.
At its end, both fighters raise their arms triumphantly. Then an exhausted McGregor comes on screen, and is reassured by his corner that he has it won, 3-2. McGregor holds up four fingers.
Inside the Octagon as the scores are read off, when the win is announced, the roar vibrates the camera visibly.
McGregor and Diaz show respect. Rogan gets to work. And McGregor, all the adrenaline having passed out of his body, has a long, slow, painful limp back to the dressing room.
There UFC president Dana White tells a still covered in blood McGregor that he has to go the hospital. McGregor agrees, but has some work to do first. McGregor in a suit closes out the show at the post fight media scrum.
“The fights done and dusted,” says the head coach at SBG Charlestown Dublin. “The most unbelievable night ever.”
