McGregor often calls the July 11 pay-per-view ‘the McGregor show,' and that's not far off from reality. But just a few years ago, Sonnen was in the same spot as the Irishman -- navigating the waters of mega-event promotion while Anderson Silva clung to the shadows -- and he can sympathize with how hard the job of one-man carnival barker can be once the stresses of fight week approach.
"It's crossed the line of being too much," Sonnen said of McGregor. "I mean, that's just the reality of the situation. Athletes go out, we're kind of programmed to say the same thing we think we're supposed to say. It's too much on Conor right now, and media will ask him that. ‘Is it too much?' So, you know, you don't want to put some of those things in your world. You want to deny them and keep them out so you can take care of business, but yeah, of course it's too much. When a guy is on the opposite side of the country and he's got three more stops before he can get home, he's 22 pounds overweight, he's nine days before a fight, and he's running on two hours sleep because of all of it, it's too much."
With less than a week to go before UFC 189, McGregor is in the home stretch of an unprecedented promotional effort that spanned the majority of 2015. Much of that focus was on his original opponent, UFC featherweight champion Aldo, and it was a stunning success. Before Aldo withdrew from the contest last week with a broken rib, the event was on track to be one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year and easily the biggest payday of the Brazilian's career. Had it stayed intact, the fight would've likely thrust Aldo into a level of stardom that has thus far eluded him, mirroring what Sonnen was able to accomplish with Silva.
good points by chael, conor is amazing.
Quote (Boilermakers @ Jul 7 2015 12:51pm)
How confident is Conor McGregor in his finishing abilities?
So much so, that the featherweight superstar was willing to bet his bosses seven figures on when he'd knock out Chad Mendes.
McGregor has been known to make bombastic predictions leading up to his fight. And according to UFC president Dana White, McGregor had a finish in mind for his UFC 189 interim featherweight title fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
White said on Tuesday's Jim Rome Show that McGregor has predicted he'll knock Mendes out in the second round. And he was willing to bet White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta $3 million that this would be the case.
"You want to know how confident this kid is?" White asked. "I can't even believe I'm going to say this, but, he told Lorenzo and I the other day ‘I'll bet you $3 million I knock him out in the second round.'"
The UFC boss isn't likely to take McGregor up on the proposition, given their promoter/fighter relationship. But to White, it underscores the charisma which has made McGregor a breakthrough star.
"I like to bet, I don't know if I'm that willing to take that bet," White said. "When I tell you how extremely confident this guy is in himself, it's fascinating. He is a very unique, fascinating person to listen to. Fun to listen to, and fun to watch."
thats seriously insane.
his mind is so strong, mendes is a deadman.
This post was edited by MVPx on Jul 7 2015 02:08pm
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