Conor McGregor rips everyone apart in a blockbuster hour-long interview in Manchester
Conor McGergor might be away from the Octagon, but it's tough to keep him out of the news. On Saturday night, Conor sat down for an hour-long interview with esteemed MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in an event called ‘An experience with Conor McGregor’ in Manchester, England.
The event was a PPV itself and drew an audience of over 5000. The interview was explosive, to say the least, and had Conor at its very best!
Just before heading out for the interview, Conor posted this photograph with quite a few expletives for everyone:
I'm so made! Heading to do a Q and A in front of 5000 fans! You read that right. That's more than UFC attendance tonight. And it's on PPV at http://www.notoriouslive.co Fuck the UFC. Fuck Floyd. Fuck boxing. Fuck the WWE. Fuck Hollywood. And fuck you too pay me.
Although Conor was thirty minutes late to interview, his grand entrance more than made up for it when he walked out to the stage on his Rolls Royce. Interestingly, Conor was introduced as the ‘Undusputed Lightweight Champion’ and the ‘Undisputed Featherweight Champion’.
It has to be noted that McGregor was stripped of the Featherweight title last month by the UFC. Welcomed with ‘Ole Ole’ chants, Conor thanked the huge crowd which had gathered to watch the Irishman talk. Here are the excerpts from the blockbuster interview:
Ariel Helwani: Did you ever envision something like this, 5000 people coming here just to see you speak, not compete?
Conor McGregor: I’m truly grateful for every single person in this room. I know I’m a cocky mo******ker, and you love me for it but honestly I am truly grateful.
Ariel Helwani: Since winning, around two and a half months ago, you have been relatively quiet, and there have been opportunities for you to speak up, why have you stayed away from the limelight?
Conor McGregor: Look, I have done everything I have said I am gonna do. I was laughed at. I was laughed at when I said I am gonna take these two world titles down. An Irishman even winning the UFC, I was laughed at.
I have done everything I have said. I just wanna take a step back, chill, I wanna celebrate with my fans. I’ve been working so hard, my fans have been following me all over the world. I might have not been as vocal but I am tactical. It’s only January and I am already the face of UFC, the face of boxing, WWE, Hollywood, the face of Manchester!
AH: Did you expect that kind of dominance in the Eddie Alvarez fight? Did it go even better than you expected it to?
CM: If I would have caught his feet after the first knock down, I would have finished him in the first round. I made an error in judgment, I tried to dive on the KO and he scrambled at me and that’s the only reason he survived the first round.
AH: It was very important for you to be a two division champion. When you won that (Alvarez) fight and the second belt did not appear in the cage, you seemed genuinely upset that the moment was being robbed, did you feel that it was a conscious effort on the part of UFC?
CM: 100%. In the media, I’ve said that the dream was to climb up the cage and raise those two belts. I’ve said it in every interview that I have done. On the night when I won the second title and they didn’t have the belt, I was like ‘what the f**k is happening’.
I don’t know what would have happened if they had not presented the second belt to me, I probably wouldn’t have left the Octagon until the second belt was presented and I would have never returned after it was. Before I was even the Featherweight champion, I was holding two belts, that's the power of visualisation.
AH: You said you’re going to fly out to Las Vegas shortly, why is that?
CM: There is a lot of business to do in Las Vegas! I love the Vegas commission, we have come to an understanding, I am gonna fly out there and fix it and get my Las Vegas boxing commission and then we’ll see where the f**k Floyd's at!
AH: Did they deny you a license?
CM: No, we’ve fixed it. We all came together. They’ve realized that I brought $400 million dollars of revenue for one fight. They realise that if I am not there, ain’t nobody bringing that kind of money.
AH: Everyone has been imitating your strut (walk), Justin Bieber, Pogba. You’ve been doing that for a few fights and after new York, then all of a sudden it became part of Pop-culture. What do you think of that?
CM: I am thinking Vince Mcmahon must be pissed. I don’t give a f**k about Vince Mcmahon! I stole that walk and that walk is now mine and Vince or any of those pu***ies in the WWE cannot do anything about that. That’s my walk, I made that walk!
AH: How did you find out that they are going to strip you of the Featherweight belt?
CM: Before I even got the second belt, they wanted to strip me. I was like ‘let me go and get the thing first, let me go make history, let me do what’s never been done before’ and it seemed to be a problem. All they had to do was ask, If Dana would have come to me and asked me to fight for the belt in March, I would have slept Holloway or Aldo or whoever they wanted.
All they had to do was ask. Instead, they created the interim belt and gave the unified belt to a guy I KO’d in thirteen seconds. I was almost a little bit embarrassed. I am still the Featherweight champion, make no mistake about it!
The Featherweights are praying that I don’t get back there. You sign me against any of those Featherweights and I promise you they won’t show up.
AH: You’ve just won the Lightweight title two months ago and now they’ve made an interim lightweight title? Did they ask you about that?
CM: Not a whisper about that. The two guys fighting for that interim belt are bums! They are sloppy, messy and chinny. They should be really happy that I am chilling out there and they get a chance to think that they are up there.
But in reality, they are both clowns, they’ll both be knocked out stiff. Whatever, I am chilling out here I have my eyes on Floyd Mayweather!
AH: Where does the Floyd deal stand now?
CM: We’ve got to do it the same way Manny (Pacquiao) did it. We've got to come to a set number and then we'll come to the customers, the promoters, the buyers and then we get it done. This is happening!
That fight is more than just being explored. It's the fight people want, its the fight I want. I've got the youth, I've got the confidence and I've got the unpredictable style. I am going to conquer two worlds!
AM: Could you make this fight without the UFC?
CM: I believe so. With the LA act, I think I can. But I think its smoother with all involved. I think we are all about business, I’ve done great business with the UFC. But everyone’s got to know their place.
AM: What do you mean everyone’s got to know their place?
CM: I mean, everyone’s gotta know their place. There’s the Mayweather promotion, there’s UFC and then there’s the newly formed McGregor promotion, all in the mix. That’s what I am saying, nobody is my boss!
AM: Dana publically made an offer of 25$ million to both of you. What do you make of that statement and the number?
CM: I am happy that there was an offer made. We’re getting there. We are moving up! It’s still not there yet but were closing in on it. If Manny and Floyd did half a billion, I believe that this one is the first billion dollar fight.
AM: Mayweather continues to say that he is the ‘A’ side so you need to come a little lower. What do you think of that?
CM: He’s the scared side. He needs rules to protect him.
AM: Do you think he (Floyd) want’s to get it done?
CM: I think so. It’s very hard to go back because I am hunting now.
AM: What do you think the chances are of it happening in 2017?
CM: I believe it could happen by the end of this year or early next year.
AM: What do you think about the old school boxing commentators laughing about the fight?
CM: I have been laughed at my entire career. The sound of laughter and doubt motivates me. I enjoy that, I seek that.
AM: When you envision that fight, do you see yourself stopping him?
CM: My fists are bigger than his head! I know every single shot that’s hit. He’s a malteser with eyeballs. I am gonna teach him about true fighting.
AM: Is it fair to say that out of anything out there, this fight interests you the most?
CM: 100% I believe the next time I step into a combat arena, it will be through the ropes, with ten-ounce or eight-ounce gloves.
AM: For this fight, you'll have to be on the sidelines for another year, can you do that?
CM: For a hundred million I'll sit for another year! You are right, but this is historic, fighting Khabib or whatever his name is, Tony, Aldo, or even Woodley, its not this.
AM: If this fight happens, it could be two years before you step into the UFC again. Are you worried about what happens to your belts?
CM: No. My shadow looms large over that promotion. There are more people here than at the UFC event going on right now. That should tell you everything. But once I am back, I'll active. I am still a young pup, I am not even into my prime.
AH: You were supposed to fight at UFC 200 but you didn’t want to do media so you fought at UFC 202. What did you feel when you found out that Ronda will not be doing any media before her fight?
CM: I didn’t give a f**k! I am the two-weight world champion. I love Ronda! When Ronda lost, I woke up to all those messages saying, ‘now let’s see what they do’. I don’t celebrate another person’s defeat. That’s a weak individual who does that. That ain’t the sign of a champion.
AH: What do you think of Nate Diaz?
CM: Nate’s a bitch! I rearranged Nate’s face in the second fight. I had the biggest respect for Nate but when he took that phone call of Floyd Mayweather, he was Floyd’s bitch that night. When Mayweather said, ‘you tapped McGregor out and now I am gonna finish the job’, he should have said ‘shut your f**king mouth or I’ll strangle you too’ and posted that everywhere!
But he was Floyd’s bitch that night, he was Floyd’s employee that night! He took a hell of lot smacks that night, his face droops to the left, look at him, you don’t take those left hammers all for twenty-five minutes and come back normal.
Now you are at the back of the queue. Nate and I will get back to it again. And this time, I think it will be for the Lightweight belt. If his team is smart, they’ll stop him from taking that fight, but they are not the most intelligent people. So I am sure Nate and I will go at it again.
AH: A report came out that you have turned down an offer from WWE to appear at Wrestlemania. Is that accurate?
CM: Let me tell you, there have been a lot of offers that I have turned down. I got offered a role in the Predator movie. I got that that Pegasus thing, three days for a lot of money!
AH: Just to be clear, so no Wrestlemania?
CM: Never say never. Triple H was at the show (UFC 205). I would love to go into the WWE and have a real knock and see what’s what. The conversation’s ongoing. I’ve turned down a few things but the conversation’s ongoing.
AH: What about Game of Thrones?
CM: That was everywhere! I never even heard about it. I have never been in contact with anyone from Game of Thrones. Don’t believe everything you hear.
AH: You have mentioned that you are going to be a father. Is it a boy or a girl?
CM: It’s a boy! The one time my record’s gonna be broken, it will be my own child. I’ll be training him from the womb!
AH: To finish it of, any words for Floyd Mayweather?
CM: F**K Floyd! I’ll see you soon.
Watch the entire interview below:
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