TIME FOR McGREGOR TO WALK THE WALK
Talking is over now – it’s up to the Dubliner to deliver the goods in Las Vegas
THE time for talking is now over and that is no bad thing. Even fans of trash talking are likely to have heard an insult too many by this stage.
In the storied yet brief history of the UFC lightweight division, nobody has successfully recovered from losing their title. That’s the challenge facing Conor McGregor tonight – to become the first two-time lightweight champion.
Of course, the very fact that he was stripped of the title leaves him in a different position to most other champions who were dethroned inside the octagon. Ever since he and Khabib Nurmagomedov began undertaking media duties to promote UFC 229, there has been a complete refusal on McGregor’s part to acknowledge that he was unseated in the first place.
He brings two championship belts to official engagements, which is a nod to both the lightweight and featherweight titles that he was stripped of before ever defending. While he fights to regain one of those tonight, the likelihood of the Dubliner ever returning to the featherweight division is remote.
At Thursday’s press conference and yesterday’s weigh-in, he appeared to be in peak form. However, that was more than likely due to the energy he received from an adoring crowd. At both engagements he was in the final stages of a punishing weight-cut to meet the 155lbs limit. His body was starved of fluids and nutrients, and he must have felt listless before being able to refuel.
McGregor (right) has called for smaller gaps between weight categories in mixed martial arts. The climb from featherweight to lightweight is 10lbs, while the leap from lightweight to welterweight is 15lbs.
These are the three divisions that he has competed in, and a quick look-back through pictorial archives illustrates the extremes he has endured to make weight.
Earlier this week, speaking to Andrew McGahon of The Mac Life, McGregor went into considerable detail about the misery imposed on him by the dreaded weight-cut.
“If there’s two things that will keep me away from this game, it’s the intense media obligations and the weight-cuts,” he said. “They always seem to come together at the same damn time. There’s a lot of work involved in the media, a lot of different types of energy. Factor in that when you’re cutting weight it’s not enjoyable at all; the weight-cuts are ruthless. It’s a horrible, horrible part of the business.”
Now 30 and a veteran of the sport, McGregor wields significant influence due to his status as the biggest attraction in MMA history. He wants to put some of that sway to good use.
He added: “I would like to spearhead many more divisions in the game so we can figure this whole situation out, because it’s not correct. You don’t see it happening in other sports where there’s weigh-ins involved. Boxing is every 3lbs, or something, that there’s a new division, so there’s definitely space for more divisions. You’ll get better fights for it. You’ll get fighters that are able to do extraordinary things when they are going in full of energy and correctly prepared rather than killing themselves.”
Manny Pacquiao is an eight-division boxing world champion. The Filipino won his titles between flyweight and welterweight – a combined increase of 35lbs. In MMA, if any fighter starting out as a flyweight wished to become an eight-division champion, they would have to negotiate every single division above them, including heavyweight, for a combined weight increase of 140lbs. In other words, impossible. McGregor and his latest opponent don’t agree on much, but the Russian would surely have his back on this. Nurmagomedov has a history of struggling to make weight and on Thursday he appeared gaunt and irritated before leaving in frustration over McGregor’s poor time-keeping.
Both men have stated that they have no intention of shaking hands at the end of tonight’s fight. The hatred is real and UFC chiefs are rubbing their hands in anticipation of record-breaking pay-per-view figures. Nurmagomedov admits that he is still upset by the events surrounding last April’s bus attack in Brooklyn, while McGregor’s disparaging remarks about his heritage, religious faith and even his family appear to have taken a toll.
In combat sports, the importance associated with mind games is overplayed. Claims like “he’s in his head” rarely have sound basis in truth. However, in this instance there may be justification for such an argument. In the past two days alone, McGregor’s demeanour has been convincing, while Nurmagomedov has retreated into his shell.
With thousands of Irish fans now making their presence felt on Las Vegas boulevard, optimism is high that ‘The Notorious’ will have his arm raised aloft in victory tonight.
There is no getting away from the fact that Nurmagomedov has more ways of winning a fight. However, not one of them is more effective than McGregor’s thunderous left hook. Of the Irishman’s 21 wins, 18 have come by knockout. It’s a devastating tool that has brought him success and wealth beyond most fighters’ dreams.
Nurmagomedov’s methods of achieving victory are more varied, with eight of his 26 wins coming by knockout, eight by decision and ten by submission. His status as the first Russian and the first Muslim to win a UFC title is a source of immense pride. To lose that title in his first defence would be a devastating blow.
However, if developments in recent days have altered his cold-blooded approach, then he could be in trouble. When fighters allow their decisions to be governed by emotion, they overextend themselves, rush decisions and mistakes are made.
At last month’s press conference in New York, Nurmagomedov was praised for staying calm despite all of McGregor’s provocation. The fight is now upon us and that level of calm appears to have been replaced by an anxious, nervous energy. The Russian looks worried and, frankly, a little out of his depth. McGregor may have landed a decisive blow before the fight has even started.
Nurmagomedov v McGregor, Live, BT Sport 1, 3.0am