Conor McGregor: I Have to Put Nate Diaz Away at UFC 202
Conor McGregor: I Have to Put Nate Diaz Away at UFC 202
Conor McGregor addressed the media on Friday and laid out the one route he needs to travel to get the job done at UFC 202
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor attended a media day yesterday in Las Vegas ahead of his UFC 202 rematch with Nate Diaz.
Decked out in jeans, a light purple polo shirt and a pair of clear lens glasses, McGregor looked coolness personified as he held court over hundreds of gathered media members.
The Irishman fielded questions for over thirty minutes and the interrogation began with how he felt after losing to Diaz at UFC 196 in March.
"It's something that is part of the game," McGregor said. "You just got to take it and it ain't nice. The highs are very, very high and the lows are low. You suck it up, break it down and then you correct the mistakes. This is the game we are in, it's a crazy, crazy business and nobody makes it out of this game unscathed. All you got to do is look through the history books."
McGregor was then asked why he asked for the fight again at welterweight rather than at a more familiar weight class. The Irishman sad that he would only feel he had retribution if all the conditions from the previous fight were kept the same.
"He's more than a welterweight now, he's about 200-pounds and he's been enjoying himself," McGregor said. "I couldn't make it at any other weight other than the one I was defeated at. I feel it would've raised questions and it would've defeated the purpose of what this is about.
"I feel I was completely in control of the contest, I was slapping the head off him...let's be real here. I just wanted to keep my preparation and training as is and keep preparing for that bigger man and that's it. I wanted no changes--so I got it."
Unlike their first fight in March, Diaz has had a full training camp to prepare himself for the rematch. When asked about whether this was a concern for him heading into next Saturday night, McGregor simply brushed it off and pointed towards the fact that he had also had the opportunity to do a full camp at a new weight class.
"It's certainly made a positive difference for me," McGregor said. "I've experienced that motion, that range, that weight, time and time again in the camp--how can that not create a positive feeling for me?
"I'm interested to see what the boy had done with a full camp. He was talking all this 'I didn't have a full camp and that's why I got my ass whooped for most of the fight until you couldn't whoop my ass no more'. So, let's see what he has, let's see what the full camp has done."
Yesterday, Dana White told UFC.com that he fully expected McGregor to defend his featherweight belt later this year after his fight with Diaz. When asked about it, McGregor wasn't being drawn on whether this was actually going to be the case."
"I read that you know, we'll see," McGregor said. "We'll see. There's a lot of stuff to happen yet so I'm going to go in there, face this man, do what I know I can do, put him away, and then we can talk. But we will see."
Much like his return to featherweight, McGregor also wouldn't be drawn on whether he wanted to fight on the UFC 205 card taking place on November 12th.
"Again, there's a lot going on so let's just see," McGregor said. "There's a lot happening, there are a lot of options but I'm just trying to stay focused on the task at hand.
"I keep saying I want to fight closer to home. I've fought many, many times times out here I'm very active here in Las Vegas and it's a long trip from Ireland so New York is certainly closer. There are a lot of Irish in New York so I would like to fight there.
"I think I've earned a chance to fight in my hometown also you know so these are things I also want to do but right now, we are in Las Vegas, Sin City, the desert and we have got business to handle."
It was clear by the end of the thirty minutes that for the time being at least, McGregor's attention was focused on one man and one man only--Nate Diaz.
In typical McGregor fashion, he predicted how he thought the fight would end on Saturday night.
"I feel if there was a little more in the tank I would've stopped him in the second round," McGregor said. "I will be prepared for five and I go in anticipating five. I didn't give him respect and he can take a hell of a smack and he will take a hell of a lot more. I still feel I will repay the favor second time around.
"I've got to go in there against a man who has a win over me, who has a weight advantage over me, has endurance, who is tough as nails and I've got to put him away. I'm laser focused on that and that's all I'm thinking of right now."
Decked out in jeans, a light purple polo shirt and a pair of clear lens glasses, McGregor looked coolness personified as he held court over hundreds of gathered media members.
The Irishman fielded questions for over thirty minutes and the interrogation began with how he felt after losing to Diaz at UFC 196 in March.
"It's something that is part of the game," McGregor said. "You just got to take it and it ain't nice. The highs are very, very high and the lows are low. You suck it up, break it down and then you correct the mistakes. This is the game we are in, it's a crazy, crazy business and nobody makes it out of this game unscathed. All you got to do is look through the history books."
McGregor was then asked why he asked for the fight again at welterweight rather than at a more familiar weight class. The Irishman sad that he would only feel he had retribution if all the conditions from the previous fight were kept the same.
"He's more than a welterweight now, he's about 200-pounds and he's been enjoying himself," McGregor said. "I couldn't make it at any other weight other than the one I was defeated at. I feel it would've raised questions and it would've defeated the purpose of what this is about.
"I feel I was completely in control of the contest, I was slapping the head off him...let's be real here. I just wanted to keep my preparation and training as is and keep preparing for that bigger man and that's it. I wanted no changes--so I got it."
Unlike their first fight in March, Diaz has had a full training camp to prepare himself for the rematch. When asked about whether this was a concern for him heading into next Saturday night, McGregor simply brushed it off and pointed towards the fact that he had also had the opportunity to do a full camp at a new weight class.
"It's certainly made a positive difference for me," McGregor said. "I've experienced that motion, that range, that weight, time and time again in the camp--how can that not create a positive feeling for me?
"I'm interested to see what the boy had done with a full camp. He was talking all this 'I didn't have a full camp and that's why I got my ass whooped for most of the fight until you couldn't whoop my ass no more'. So, let's see what he has, let's see what the full camp has done."
Yesterday, Dana White told UFC.com that he fully expected McGregor to defend his featherweight belt later this year after his fight with Diaz. When asked about it, McGregor wasn't being drawn on whether this was actually going to be the case."
"I read that you know, we'll see," McGregor said. "We'll see. There's a lot of stuff to happen yet so I'm going to go in there, face this man, do what I know I can do, put him away, and then we can talk. But we will see."
Much like his return to featherweight, McGregor also wouldn't be drawn on whether he wanted to fight on the UFC 205 card taking place on November 12th.
"Again, there's a lot going on so let's just see," McGregor said. "There's a lot happening, there are a lot of options but I'm just trying to stay focused on the task at hand.
"I keep saying I want to fight closer to home. I've fought many, many times times out here I'm very active here in Las Vegas and it's a long trip from Ireland so New York is certainly closer. There are a lot of Irish in New York so I would like to fight there.
"I think I've earned a chance to fight in my hometown also you know so these are things I also want to do but right now, we are in Las Vegas, Sin City, the desert and we have got business to handle."
It was clear by the end of the thirty minutes that for the time being at least, McGregor's attention was focused on one man and one man only--Nate Diaz.
In typical McGregor fashion, he predicted how he thought the fight would end on Saturday night.
"I feel if there was a little more in the tank I would've stopped him in the second round," McGregor said. "I will be prepared for five and I go in anticipating five. I didn't give him respect and he can take a hell of a smack and he will take a hell of a lot more. I still feel I will repay the favor second time around.
"I've got to go in there against a man who has a win over me, who has a weight advantage over me, has endurance, who is tough as nails and I've got to put him away. I'm laser focused on that and that's all I'm thinking of right now."