Respect for Cerron, fight with Masvidal and Nurmagomedov's style: what McGregor spoke about at the UFC 246 press conference

On January 16, an official press conference of the UFC 246 tournament took place in Las Vegas, the main event of which will be a duel between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone. The fighters not only answered questions about the upcoming battle, but also talked about their relationship to each other and future plans in mixed martial arts. At the same time, the main attention was focused on the Irish athlete, whose return to the octagon promises to be one of the main events in the world of MMA in 2020.

From the very beginning, this press conference was unlike other media events with McGregor. The Irishman was always famous for his spectacular appearances and could make them wait for a long time. It is enough to recall his delay in one of the events with the participation of Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. Bookmakers even took bets on exactly how much Conor would be late, but this time he appeared on time and immediately demonstrated that he intended to behave extraordinarily respectfully.

Over the years, Notorius has accustomed everyone to the fact that his battle with an opponent does not begin in the octagon, but beyond. He always tried to get into the head of a vis-a-vis and do everything possible to unsettle him. In 2015, he insulted ex-featherweight champion Jose Aldo throughout his world tour, a year later humiliated Rafael dos Agnos and Nate Diaz, speaking about their poor financial situation. After some time, it was the turn of Eddie Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather Jr., but Nurmagomedov underwent the most severe psychological attack. McGregor rudely expressed himself about him, his wife, family, people and religion, which, although it did not give results in the battle, was one of the reasons for the brawl at its end.

Even in his many interviews, the ex-UFC champion in two weight categories made it clear that he has great respect for the future vis-a-vis and has not changed his attitude. For more than 30 minutes, McGregor did not allow himself to make any harsh remarks against Serrone, but managed to admire his fighting skills, as well as his lifestyle and clothing. He was especially impressed by the leather jacket in which he appeared on the stage, after which he declared that he intended to do the same for himself.

“At this stage, it’s very difficult not to respect Donald. On January 19th blood will be shed, but there will be no enmity. I predict that the fight will end with a knockout, ”said McGregor.

It is not surprising that such striking differences in the behavior of McGregor caused questions from the media. Journalists asked him what caused such changes, but the athlete assured that he remained the same.

“At the moment, I am very happy to be here and look forward to speaking with fans. A battle with a serious rival, a veteran of the game, is waiting for me, but now I'm in a bump. I don’t think that has changed. Just completely focused and happy to be here, ”Conor said.

Nevertheless, McGregor admitted that his sympathy for Cerron will not prevent him from entering the octagon and confidently gain the upper hand in his first battle in 15 months. According to him, the Cowboy is a fairly predictable athlete and it will not be difficult for him to pick up the keys to him.

“I like him and all that. A good guy, but to be honest, I can read Cerrone as a children's book. A good fighter, he has a few trump cards in his sleeve. But I know them, I understand what he plans to do and what he hopes to achieve. We are well prepared, ”said the Irishman.

The American athlete was never famous for the speed of his hands and was known as a rather slow athlete for light weight. According to the Irishman, this could play a trick on him.

“I think I have an advantage in speed. Confident before the fight. When Conor McGregor is extremely ready and completely concentrated, no one can get him. I am good at this game. It was thanks to me that she became what she is now. Let me remind you of this on January 19th, ”McGregor promised.

Recently, the Irishman has repeatedly said that this welterweight fight is not a one-time action, but should be the beginning of his campaign to one of the titles. At the moment, Kamaru Usman owns the division champion belt, while Jorge Masvidal retains the title of BMF (“the toughest bastard”).

“I would like to get the title of“ the toughest bastard, ”and then take real gold. For me, championing still means a little more, especially considering how the fight for the BMF belt ended. I think we were not allowed to enjoy the classic duel. In the fourth and fifth rounds, a real fight awaited us, ”said MacGregor.

At the same time, he also noted that he would have fought with Masvidal with great pleasure, after which he did not miss the opportunity to release a taunt at Nurmagomedov.

“I would say that in terms of styles, a duel with Jorge would be more exciting. Usman’s fighting style is similar to that of Nurmagomedov. Like Habib, Camaru also prefers to sniff the cowards of his rivals, ”added McGregor.

It is noteworthy that, despite the fierce confrontation between McGregor and Nurmagomedov, American journalists practically did not ask questions on this topic. And this taking into account the fact that only a few months ago Conor held a press conference in Moscow, during which a series of harsh comments broke out against Khabib. Nevertheless, they still asked him if he plans to replace one of the future participants in the fight for the lightweight title, planned at the UFC 249 tournament in Brooklyn.

“Yes, let's look at the history of their meetings. They had to meet four times, but it never happened. There is no guarantee that one of them will not be removed again. Therefore, it would be a smart decision to stay ready, ”McGregor admitted.

In addition, he noted that he does not exclude the possibility of speaking at the UFC 248 tournament in March. The show has already announced seven fights, but the main fight of the evening has not been appointed. According to the Irishman, if everything goes well on Sunday, he is ready to return to the octagon two months later.

As for Cerrone, he was also extremely correct in his statements and did not even try to bring McGregor out of balance. It is worth noting that one should not have expected anything else from him, because Cowboy has always been considered one of the most positive fighters in the UFC roster.

“He is a former champion in two divisions. It can be safely said that this will be the hardest battle in which I have ever taken part. I am delighted. They always said to me: "Cowboy, can you show yourself in a big fight?" Okay bastards, here he is. Let's see, ”said Cerrone.

A few days ago, McGregor announced that he was superior to Cerrone in all aspects and could beat him even if he had the flu. Nevertheless, the American himself considers these words to be ordinary bravado.

“I don’t think he underestimates me. We are always preparing to deal with the opponent, despite the imperfect state. So when he talks about the flu and something else, let it be so ... We are going to tear the roof off this building. I can’t wait for the fight, ”admitted the Cowboy.

At the end of the press conference, athletes traditionally held a duel of views. Like their communication, she went extremely calmly and without any hostility. McGregor managed without jolts in the chest and blows on his hands and silently looked into Cerrone's eyes, after which he said: “Great job.” The athletes did not pose for a long time in front of the cameras, after which they left the stage. From a security point of view, it is customary to withdraw future adversaries through different exits, but this time this was not required.