Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
RETIRING POIRED FUEL ON THE FIRE
Mcgregor to blaze path to title shot
CONOR MCGREGOR is ‘on fire’ in sparring ahead of his latest cage comeback this weekend.
The Dublin fighter returns to the UFC octagon on Saturday night when he takes on old rival Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi.
The 32-year-old KO’D Poirier in the first round when the pair met as featherweights in 2014 and a similar result on this occasion could set up a shot at the lightweight title.
Crumlin Boxing Club coach and former Olympic boxer Phil Sutcliffe will be in Mcgregor’s corner on Saturday and likes what he’s seen during his pre-fight camp.
He told UFC 257 Countdown: “Conor has it down to a fine art now. He has a team around him that are so good, but remember, Conor put that team around him.
“He picks his own shots – he picks his own sessions to make sure that he is ready.
“Conor is on fire at the moment. He’s on fire.”
Mcgregor kicked off fight week by arriving at the fighters’ hotel in a lavish Rolls Royce with his son Conor Jr yesterday ahead of his keenly anticipated return.
The Dubliner made a fast start to 2020 with a 40-second victory over Donald Cerrone a year ago – but then saw his plans thwarted by the coronavirus pandemic. He took to social media in June to announce he was hanging up his gloves for the third time in four year, before eventually agreeing a return with UFC chiefs.
Mcgregor told ESPN: “There were a lot of talks about me coming back, I was so eager to come back, I wanted to come back.
“The Tuesday after the Cerrone fight I had that meeting with Lorenzo (Fertitta) and Dana (White, inset) and the conversation was, ‘What is next?’ but we didn’t get the answer at the dinner.
“It didn’t come to fruition and I was eager and tried to get things moving but with all the circumstances this year it went the way it went and it is what it is.”
He added: “It was borne out of frustration, when you’re trying to get these events and get things moving and it’s not happening... it felt like I was shelved.
“I felt like if I’d been run out a couple more times last year, not only would my skill set and my sharpness be in tune, we’d be talking $800million in revenue for the company.
“It is what it is, the past is the past. I’ve got what I needed to get off my chest and I feel it’s been reciprocated well. We’re focusing on the positive and we’re in a good place.”