"Conor found an old friend" - Teddy Atlas reveals what Conor McGregor has in his corner this time
Veteran boxing coach Teddy Atlas recently revealed what he believes Conor McGregor has found once again before his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Speaking to TheMacLife, Atlas said believes Conor McGregor will be much more comfortable in this fight than his previous outing at UFC 257. The reason, according to the veteran trainer, is that Conor McGregor has found chaos, noise, and anger once again.
Teddy Atlas stated that most of the fight game is fought in mental toughness, whether boxing or MMA. The legendary trainer spoke about how all the physical breakdowns would be insufficient because fights are won mentally. Alluding to the same, Atlas said:
"I see Conor found an old friend: noise, chaos, anger with a purpose. He's smart, he's a genius. He is, he's a genius in his own way. Promotionally, fighting-wise, he is. He has his own little genius, all the special ones do. And like it or not, you have to give him his due. And he called that old friend back: hey noise, come on, I need you. I need to have a purpose. I need to have a conflict. I need to have an arch-rival. I need to have something that's putting air under me. You know [how] a bird needs air under the wings to fly? Conor needs it, he does. That chaos is his air."
Speaking about Conor McGregor's changed demeanor leading up to UFC 257, Teddy Atlas said:
"You know, I said it earlier: he was too quiet the last time. Too quiet. OK for Dustin, but not OK for Conor. I mean, for him, quiet is like the ocean without the presence of waves. It's not an ocean no more, it's a lake. You can't be a lake in this business, you gotta be an ocean. You gotta pull, you gotta push, you gotta be in control. And we'll see if it plays out, but for me that is the biggest thing that I take from this week, is that I see that the noise is back. And it's not an accident, he [McGregor] brought it back."
Watch the interview below:
Teddy Atlas reaffirmed what a lot of people have been wondering about Conor McGregor
When Conor McGregor suffered the first knockout loss of his career to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, many blamed his attitude. While some claimed it was because of a boxing-centric approach to the fight, many believed his calm, respectful demeanor is what worked against him.
Even before UFC 264 was announced, Conor McGregor promised to stop being the nice guy. It has been evident through posts on social media, the pre-fight press conference, and everything else he has done so far that 'The Notorious' persona is back.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out in the fight which headlines UFC 264 on July 10, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.