Whatever happens on August 26, Conor McGregor’s preparations for Floyd Mayweather are impressing the right people.
Conor McGregor’s greatest asset isn’t his mental warfare or that patented Celtic cross, it’s the fact that he’s a winner. When the odds are against him and the doubters are already writing him off, he usually finds a way to win. He did it against Jose Aldo, he did it in the rematch against Nate Diaz, he did it against Eddie Alvarez and now he’s attempting to do it against Floyd Mayweather.
The difference this time around is that he’s trying to beat arguably the greatest defensive boxer ever in his professional debut. The battlefield will be different, the gloves will be heavier, the number of weapons he can use will be reduced but what won’t change will be his winner’s mentality.
Team McGregor are fully focused on securing one of the most impressive scalps in combat sports history and in order to achieve this improbable feat, they will need one hell of a plan.
The head says he hasn't got a hope, but the heart… https://t.co/NxD0ERQE5P
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 28, 2017
We first heard about this masterplan for Mayweather from McGregor’s striking coach and Irish MMA pioneer Owen Roddy. Then John Kavanagh spoke of it with a wide smile washed across his face. Now we’re hearing another perspective from someone who didn’t have a hand in creating the tactics, and the feedback is good.
Two-time world champion Paulie Malignaggi was drafted in as a sparring partner for ‘the Notorious’. After going eight rounds with the UFC superstar, he was impressed with what he saw. He revealed to MMA Fighting that McGregor is working on some sort of element of surprise for this incredibly tough task.
“You come into the situation already knowing Conor has a big left hand. So if you’re fighting Conor, you’re probably gonna prepare for that left hand. So obviously Conor is working on other things besides the left hand, so that there could be a surprise element to it, too,”
“Without giving away too much, he’s effective at what he’s doing. There’s a method behind the madness. He and his team are working at it. I’m sure it’ll be entertaining and fun.”
Odds are tape is being watched and notes are being compared as you read this. McGregor will have something up his sleeve in the T-Mobile Arena. Whether it’s enough to beat Mayweather or not remains to be seen.
