Issue 117

July 2014

When Conor McGregor enters the Dublin Octagon in July ‘Notorious’ intends to show the world MMA has usurped boxing as Ireland’s leading fight sport – and prove he’s the next UFC featherweight king in waiting.

Dublin. It’s one of the world’s great cities and a leading tourist destination with millions of visitors each year flocking to the Irish capital to soak up the culture, music, festivities and the Guinness. But the world will see a different city this summer when the UFC returns on July 19th. The world will be met by its habitants: the fighting Irish. And at their head will be warrior prince – Conor McGregor. At its core, Dublin is a proud working-class city. Its people have endured tough times, with a storied history of overcoming adversity and challenges. They’re strong, hardworking blue-collar people and fighting is in their soul. For generations the city has produced countless boxing world champions and gold medallists. But the sweet science has abdicated, MMA holds the crown today. And every crown needs a king.

Conor McGregor was relatively unknown outside Ireland little over a year ago. But the self-styled king of Dublin is a global star today, and, should his career 

play out the way he expects it to, he’ll soon be king of the UFC’s 145lb weight class. And who could argue with his claims to the throne? After all, it’s in his blood.

“Royal is my race,” states Conor when asked what the McGregor family motto‘s rioghal mo dhream’ stands for. “Yeah, roughly translated it means ‘royal is my race.’ That’s where I’m coming from. That’s how I know I’m destined to be the champion.” Suddenly his eyes light up and his voice becomes adrenalized as he says: “That’s what I’m f**king talking about. That s**t gets me going. That tells me I am on the right path. That’s how I know what I am doing is exactly what I should be doing. I know what I was put here to do.”

He catches his breath and returns to a calmer state, taking in his surroundings inside Straight Blast’s plush new gym – off the Naas Road, west of Dublin city center – that he now calls home. “If you google the name McGregor, and you look at the back story, then the McGregors fought in the war-torn fields of the Scottish highlands back in the day, fighting off the English and all that s**t. So fighting is in my blood. I like to think that I am doing what my family were doing generations ago, only I’m doing it in the modern era. On the modern gladiatorial stage.”

Despite it being only his third UFC outing, McGregor headlines at home in Dublin at the O2 against veteran Cole Miller on July 19th – a night when many Irish fans believe the coronation of a new champion begins, and also when mixed martial arts overtakes boxing as the nation’s number-one sport. Yet Conor believes that MMA already wears the crown. “To be honest, it’s done. It’s done already,” he says. 

“The night will make it official, perhaps, but it’s already happened as far as I’m concerned. No one could do what I’ve done in the small number of fights I’ve had. It’s done. We own this town. MMA rules Ireland now.”

And Conor believes July 19th will also see the fighting Irish shine. “Make no mistake about it,” he says, "That whole roster is petrified. Dublin is going to be a war zone. The Irish are awaiting the world. We are coming to take over. We’re not coming to take part. We’re not coming to make up the numbers. We are coming to take over.”

ALREADY NOTORIOUS

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is perhaps the only other athlete who’s enjoyed the type of meteoric rise McGregor has in his first year with the organisation. And Brock was a superstar from pro wrestling long before he switched to MMA. McGregor turned up in Sweden for his debut (UFC on Fuel TV 9) against Marcus Brimage in April 2013 with, quite literally, little more than the shirt on his back, but he hasn’t looked back since.

Since TKO’ing the TUF 14 alumnus in 67 seconds, McGregor’s life has been turned upside down. His energy and skill set, both in and out of the Octagon, resonated with fans and top brass alike, and he became a superstar overnight, enjoying all the accompanying benefits, and even cruising the Las Vegas Strip with UFC president Dana White in his convertible Ferrari.

“It’s been a f**ked up little ride so far, let’s face it,” the 25-year-old (26 in July) concedes. “It’s been incredible since I signed with the UFC. But there’s one thing that calms me, and that’s fighting. Coming back and getting in the gym every day and preparing for a fight, visualizing the event and focusing on my training, that calms me down. 

“When I didn’t have that to keep me calm while I was injured, I didn’t know what was going on. My life was turned upside down. It was a weird few months, that’s for sure. But I’m truly happy now. Especially the past couple of weeks where I’ve been able to go full-on, full sparring. No resistance, no hesitation. I feel like a new man again. And that’s a beautiful thing for me.”

McGregor has captured the attention of the world’s media, not just in MMA, with his tailored suits, bow ties and ultra-confident demeanor. But he insists he’s not playing a role; nor is he trying to simply talk his way into a title chance. He’s here to fight.

“There is some gamesmanship to what I do, but if you focus too much on the game then you’re forgetting about the arts. And vice versa. Me, I’m not playing a game, I’m just being me. And I am steamrolling straight down the middle. I don’t see any point waiting around. I want it all. ‘What Chael does, that’s too much showmanship for me. I understand Chael has made a lot of money doing his thing, but me and Chael are different. I see people making comparisons between me and Chael but I’m nothing like him. 

“Chael can talk better than anyone has ever talked in this game, but I’m not trying to go down that route. That’s not the journey I ever wanted. The only reason I am on that route slightly is because I’ve been out of action for so long and I’ve been doing so many interviews and all this other s**t. It’s all been bulls**t. But on July 19th everyone will see what I have been saying.”

Fighter first, showman later. But then the TV persona McGregor has become famous for, calling out everybody in and around his division and puckering up for the cameras, 

is a million miles away from the sweat-drenched man that sits here today. This man is halfway through a vigorous three-sessions-a-day training schedule – and there’s not a bow tie in sight.

So, is he a martial artist, or a prizefighter? “When in the gym I am a martial artist. When I’m in the gym, on the mat, anyone who meets me, or anyone who trains with me, will tell you I have no ego. But then, when I’m inside a big arena and it’s me against another man, I’m not humble in any way, shape or form. I come to win at all costs and I’ll do whatever it takes.

“But to answer your question, I’m still discovering what I am, to be honest. I’m just me. I’m just doing my thing and living my life the way I feel it should be done. I don’t know whether I’m a prizefighter or a martial artist. I’m just me, doing it my way – but I know I’m the best!”

SMALL CIRCLE, BIG RESULTS

Following his bonus-cheque-winning performance in Sweden on his debut, McGregor lewdly announced to the world where the social benefits office could stick their next payment, and since then he has lived the life of a transatlantic jet-setter, hanging out in LA with NFL stars one minute, then flying off for meetings in Canada and Las Vegas the next.

And he admits the recent financial rewards have made a huge difference in his life, although he’s adamant they’re the recompense for a lifetime of hard work inside the gym as well as all the hard graft he’s had to put in outside it. “Having money makes a hell of a lot of difference, yeah. I mean, what do you think? I’m hungry and I’m full at the same time, and that’s a nice place to be. “But nobody has handed this to me. I’ve worked for it. And there are times when I get media requests and I think, ‘F**k this. I don’t want to do it.’ But look, this is the game I have chosen. This is the lifestyle I have chosen. I’ve said it before: if you want to be an unknown and just a prelim card fighter, and go to the gym and just train, then that’s fine. If you’re happy with the smallest pay cheque on fight night that’s up to you. 

“But if you want to be the main guy, the headline fighter, then all the hard work has to be done. And I know exactly what I want: I want it all. I want the belt. I want the money. I want everything. It has to be done, so I just enjoy it and get on with it.” He adds: “Competition doesn’t last forever, so I’m just enjoying it while my time is now. I know it won’t be forever so I’m just trying to enjoy myself while it’s happening.”

As the new Straight Blast Gym training facility starts to fill with patrons, Conor makes sure he smiles and welcomes them all. Another sign of his true nature away from the spotlight. “If you know me personally, I’m not an ego-driven man,” he says. “I’m a peaceful man. I’m not up there, I’m just a normal man. I don’t need someone to pull me back down at all. I do have a circle of people who I trust and I listen to, and I don’t need nobody else. I don’t want anybody else in my circle. 

“That circle includes my family, my girlfriend, the close friends I grew up with, my coaches, including John (Kavanagh) and my teammates in the gym. Everyone else doesn’t exist. Everybody wants to join the team after they win the league, so I just keep my circle small. Small circle, big results.”

Big results indeed. When Conor touched down in Boston for his second UFC fight you could have easily thought he owned the place. Despite the fact ‘Shogun’ Rua, Chael Sonnen, Alistair Overeem and Urijah Faber all featured on the main card, McGregor was the talk of the town with the deepest Irish roots in the US. And the UFC knew it.

Breaking with tradition of only giving the headlining champion a blackout ringwalk, the lights dropped for McGregor’s prelim walkout to face Max Holloway, which even took commentator Joe Rogan by surprise. The Boston crowd, of course, went ballistic. “I didn’t even know I was getting a blackout. In fact, I didn’t even know I’d gotten one until after the fight,” Conor reveals. “I knew something was happening because they told me to stay back. When they said they wanted to film me walking through the backstage of the arena I knew something was happening, because that’s what they only do with the champion. They film the champions walking from the inside of the arena to the outside, so I knew something was going on.” 

He allows himself a second to think back to last August, when he outscored Holloway despite tearing his knee ligaments in the process, an injury that would keep him out for almost a year. But then he brings himself back to the moment. “Boston was unbelievable – but just wait until you see Dublin. Dublin is going to blow it right out of the water. 

“The whole country is going to shut down on July 19th for this event, and you better believe I’ll be stealing the show. Make no mistake about it, this is the Conor McGregor show, and I’m coming in prepared. I’m coming in at my best and I am coming in to take over. I’m taking over this division starting on July 19th.”

THE FIGHTING IRISH

It will be five years, six months and three days since the UFC last visited Dublin when the Octagon doors open inside the O2 on July 19th. Back at UFC 93, Conor was in the crowd, watching teammate Tom Egan make history by becoming the first Irishman to compete in the UFC, and he insists he’s been working hard ever since to ensure July’s Fight Night 46 event became a reality.

“I was sitting in the crowd that night dreaming,” he recalls. “That’s all I was doing – you best believe it. I knew then that one day it would be me headlining in Dublin. I knew even back then that I was going to do it. I was in that crowd, just a young spotty kid, but I knew I was going to do it. I was watching my friend in there, but really looking around the whole venue, soaking it all in. I honestly can’t wait to experience the atmosphere again. Just to see the whole layout with the Octagon and everything in there. 

“People can say what the f**k they want about me, but I dreamed of this. This is why I committed myself to this sport. To bring the UFC back to Dublin, back to my home, with me at the top of the card. So I’m just going to embrace it, and live it. I’m determined to just be in the moment and enjoy every minute of it.”He adds: “It’s also going to be a momentous night for the gym, for Straight Blast Gym, and my coach, John Kavanagh, who’s put so much into all this. He started in the UFC with Tom and now it will come full circle. He’s done so much for martial arts in Ireland, not just Dublin. So I’m going to step into the Octagon on July 19th representing my country, my coach and my gym, Straight Blast Gym.”

TUF veteran Cole Miller, one of the most experienced featherweights in the UFC, will be waiting for Conor in July, playing the heel no doubt in front of 10,000 ecstatic Irish men and women. But it could so easily have been one of a handful of other men from the 145lb weight class. After all, calling for a fight with McGregor has become a popular pastime inside the Octagon. Seemingly the Irishman’s wild and outspoken media persona has rubbed plenty in the division up the wrong way. And while he’s loving it all, what baffles Conor, he says, is why so many are happy to call him out, yet so few will ever utter the name of current 145lb champion, José Aldo.

“It makes me sick, it makes me sick to my stomach the amount of guys signed up to the UFC who aren’t even there for a title shot,” he says. “They’ve never even had the belt on their mind. They’ve never even uttered the champion’s name in their division. I just don’t get that. I fear being that man. I fear not going for it more than going for it.

“I have no idea why they all want to fight me when I’ve not even got the belt, yet. But from a personal point of view, I love it. I embrace it. It’s wanted. I don’t just want the belt, I want everyone in that division’s head... Line them up.

“I’ll fight any of them and all of them. It doesn’t matter who it is. I work hard and put in the hours and the time, and so it makes no difference who it is. I’d fight you. I’d fight my coach. I’d fight anyone, even my teammates. This is what we do. I’m self-motivated. We can respect one another afterwards, but this is a fight. And to me, this is a fight to the death.”

With his knee now fully healed, his title aspirations back on track and a long line of suitors waiting in the wings, McGregor is expecting to be kept busy for the rest of the year; and he admits a Las Vegas debut would be of huge appeal. But his first goal is to shine against Miller, and he hopes a stellar performance will see him get a title shot at Aldo before the end of the year.

He says: “From what fighters are saying, I have plenty of competition. But I believe this fight will be watched closely by Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens. And I believe that whoever puts in the best performance out of my fight with Miller and their bout at UFC Fight Night 44 will get rewarded. I believe when the fans watch their performances and then watch my performance it will be my title shot. 

“I don’t care if someone was there before me, and I don’t care if this or that guy has waited his turn or not, I’m not willing to wait for my turn. I’m going to let my performance do the talking and I’m going to go for that belt right away.

“I also hear they’re going to wait for the fight to be over and then they’re going to match me with Dustin Poirier. Whatever way it plays out, fair enough. But I want the belt. I’m here for the belt. And I believe after July 19th they (the UFC) will know they have the new champion on their hands.”