Conor McGregor’s bodyguard, Mitchell Atkinson, recently gave an insight into who the former two-division UFC champion really is away from the cameras.
According to Atkinson, McGregor is has a subdued personality in real life who has found great success by playing the larger than life ‘Notorious’ character throughout his MMA career.
“What you see in the media isn’t necessarily how they are as a person,” Atkinson said on The Fisticuffs podcast. “I always said, ‘Conor, he’s a great actor, do you know what I mean?
“The man… There’s no doubt about it, he’s an absolute genius but the Notorious MMA [persona] is very much a character who he plays a lot of the time. He’s a much quieter [person] and he’s, yeah, he’s very quiet and he’s got a personality like an artist where he kind of wears his heart on his sleeve…he’s a phenomenal actor and he’s a genius, you know, notorious MMA is a character who he plays that made him a billionaire within a matter of years.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)
Conor McGregor Is Working On A New Fighting Style
The Irishman recently made an appearance at Bellator 275 in Dublin and chatted with LowKickMMA about his eagerly anticipated return to fighting, he said.
“I feel nice and strong, for sure. It’s getting there day by day. I’m advised to take it easy, but I’m definitely feeling (better). You know, I’m shadowboxing a lot and I’m figuring out what way (to fight). I’m developing a style.
“If I look at the first fight with (Dustin) Poirier, it was the perfect blend between boxing and acrobatic martial arts. You know, the spinning attacks and the clean boxing,” McGregor added.
“The second fight was a little more straight boxing, there was no kicks. The third fight was a little bit more acrobatic martial arts and no boxing. So, I want to go back and blend them back together.
“It’s about finding that balance,” McGregor concluded. “Rent is due every day (and) every day is a lesson. We build and we get better. I’m happy with my ground strikes from bottom. I think people are going to start respecting different aspects of my game. My shots from the bottom, my shots from top. I have many different styles of fighting. So, we’ll get there for sure. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. There’s been a lot achieved but a lot still to go and I’m excited for that. I’m excited to go for my fans.”
Do you think Conor McGregor is putting on an act?