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LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor will have quite the unique entrance Saturday night.

“The Notorious” confirmed that Sinead O’Connor will sing his walkout song live at UFC 189 before his fight with Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title at MGM Grand.

“The McGregor show is a spectacle,” the Irishman said at UFC 189 open workouts Tuesday.

McGregor comes out to a mix of O’Connor’s “Foggy Dew,” a legendary Irish ballad. O’Connor wrote that she was coming to Las Vegas to “sing Conor McGregor into his fight” last week on Facebook, but the UFC has not yet made an official statement on it.

McGregor, who is not easily impressed, is extremely pleased that O’Connor will be there in person. UFC president Dana White also happens to be a huge fan of the Irish singer.

“I’ve been coming out to Sinead for a long time,” McGregor said. “To have her sing live, it’s gonna be historic.”

LAS VEGAS — Chael Sonnen whipped the MMA community into frenzy — which he is known to do — when he said on Jim Rome last week that Conor McGregor had to cut almost 30 pounds in eight days to make featherweight. McGregor said that’s just not true.

“We did have a discussion, but I think he must have misheard me, what I said,” McGregor said Tuesday at UFC 189 open workouts. “But I didn’t say I was that high. That’s too high this close out. I’d say I walk around at that weight. He must have misheard me. I don’t think anything of it.”

Sonnen, who spoke with McGregor at ESPN, told Rome that McGregor was at 172 pounds last Thursday. The former UFC middleweight No. 1 contender expressed doubt that McGregor would make 145 for his interim featherweight title fight against Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 189 on Saturday here at MGM Grand.

“He’s a very big guy,” Sonnen said. “I was impressed with how big he is. I was like ‘Conor, what do you weigh?’ He said ‘I’m around 172 pounds.’ He’s got to be 145 pounds in eight days. I don’t know how he’s going to do it. He’s very lean. He has a very busy schedule. He’s training at Las Vegas. He was just in L.A. with Conan O’Brien last night. He’s in New York for Reebok a day before that. He was in Connecticut the day before that. One, how does he do the weight? And two, how does he find the time? I don’t know.”

McGregor (17-2) said it’s all much ado about nothing. He said he’s right on track to make 145 when he hits the scale Friday.

“I’m a professional in this business,” McGregor said. “I don’t mess around here. I take this game pretty seriously. I’m on point. My weight is smooth ass. Don’t believe everything you hear.”

McGregor has admitted in the past that he does have a hard time going down to 145 and that his natural weight class is probably 155, where he sees himself in the not-so-distant future. But as for now, he said he’ll make featherweight without any drama.

A new layer to steep weight cut problems is the USADA ban on IVs for rehydration after weigh-ins. The UFC’s new anti-doping program starting this month is run by USADA. The IV ban will begin in October to give fighters a grace period.

McGregor said that won’t necessarily mean anything to him nor his future at featherweight.

“I have rehydrated without the IV many times, so it will just be a little different in the preparation, in the lead up,” McGregor said. “It won’t affect me. Like I said, a professional inside and outside.”

Brittney Palmer’s husband was arrested for attempted murder in a June domestic incident at their Los Angeles home, according to a TMZ report.

Aaron Zalewski, Palmer’s husband, allegedly threw her around and choked her until she struggled to breathe on June 11, per documents obtained by TMZ. Palmer was able to escape the alleged attack and call the police. Zalewski was arrested for attempted murder, spousal battery and criminal threats.

The incident allegedly started when Zalewski overheard a casting agent call Palmer “babe.” Police told TMZ that things got physical as they wrestled for control over her phone. Palmer was apparently recording the argument and when Zalewski noticed he allegedly threw her and she hit her head on a bedpost.

Palmer told police that Zalewski told her to pack her bags and leave, but he wouldn’t actually let her. Instead, he allegedly pinned her face down on a mattress with his knee on her back. Palmer said she struggled to breathe for two minutes while he held her down.

Zalewski allegedly scratched his own arms during the incident and screamed, “Why are you doing this? I just wanted you to love me.”

Zalewski, who married Palmer last year, was released on $1 million bail one day later. The Los Angeles city attorney is now tasked with deciding whether or not to charge Zalewski, who works in finance.

Palmer has been an MMA ring girl since her days with WEC.

LAS VEGAS — Irene Aldana could be in the UFC soon. But almost certainly not for her next fight and likely not for the UFC’s next card in Mexico, either.

Aldana, a top women’s bantamweight prospect, said there’s still a lot to work out between the UFC, Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp and her team. Aldana has a contract with Invicta, but there is precedent for the UFC acquiring Invicta fighters.

“I still don’t know,” Aldana said Tuesday at Invicta FC 13 media day. “We need to talk to Shannon. I don’t know what the plan is. Maybe in the near future in the UFC, but I still don’t know.”

Aldana (5-1) will vie for the vacant Invicta 135-pound title against veteran Tonya Evinger at Invicta FC 13 on Thursday night at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. She and teammate Alexa Grasso were seated front and center at UFC 188 last month in Mexico City. It is no secret that the UFC covets both Mexican prospects and UFC president Dana White has been outward about his desire to sign Grasso.

Mexico and Latin America are huge priorities for the UFC, which will hold the The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 Finale in Monterrey in November. Aldana said she likely will not be on that card and Grasso probably won’t, either. That’s OK with her — she’s not necessarily in a rush. Aldana knows that it will all come eventually if she continues to excel.

“I think it’s a goal for every fighter,” Aldana said of being in the UFC. “It’s the biggest promotion, UFC. But I love Invicta. I first want to win the belt and maybe defend it two or three times, I don’t know. Then the UFC. The next goal will be the UFC belt.”

Will Aldana be in the UFC next year? “Maybe,” she said. But it seems like she’s keeping that decision out of her hands for now, which is understandable since she’s heading into the biggest fight of her career against the very tough Evinger.

Aldana, 27, has looked like a world-beater in her last two fights, finishing Colleen Schneider and Peggy Morgan both in under three minutes. Evinger will be an even tougher test and it’s worth noting that Aldana fell to Larissa Pacheco via first-round TKO in 2013 and Pacheco is 0-2 with two bad losses. A win over Evinger would erase that and up Aldana’s stock higher than it already is.

“I’m happy and it’s moving quickly,” she said. “More quickly than I thought it would be. It’s been an amazing experience and I’m really happy.”

Win or lose, belt or no belt, Aldana knows she has the Mexican fans behind her. She and Grasso have developed quite the grassroots following in their home country.

“The Mexican fans have been amazing to us, with Alexa and I,” Aldana said. “We’ve been receiving a lot of love from them. I hope this lasts a really, really long time.

“We would love to bring more Mexican girls into the sport, to Invicta and the UFC. That’s going to happen.”

Van Duin: Cyborg wins because foes are ‘scared before they even get in the ring’

Cris Cyborg has become an unstoppable foe partly through the power of persuasion — at least, according to Faith Van Duin.

Van Duin, who will challenge Cyborg for the Invicta women’s featherweight title in the main event of Invicta FC 13 on Thursday night at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, believes the champion has won many of her fights before they even start.

“I think she makes all her opponents scared before they even get in the ring because of how dominant she is and how scary she looks,” the New Zealander said. “She’s fierce and doesn’t stand down or lock down.”

Van Duin (5-1) said at first that she was also affected psychologically, but has gotten over it.

“It doesn’t phase me, really,” she said. “When I thought about it, I was like, ‘Oh shit.’ But then watching her fight and getting to feel that I’m gonna fight her just made me more confident. It’s not going to really bother me how she looks and how scary she is and how dominant she is.”

Van Duin, 29, who submitted Amanda Bell in April to earn the title shot, said she sees holes in Cyborg’s game that she wants to expose. She isn’t bothered by the fact that most people are already looking past her and talking about a potential blockbuster between Cyborg and Ronda Rousey in the UFC.

“I just know that once I do win then that’s going to spoil everyone’s Rousey-Cyborg fight,” Van Duin said.

Atomweight champ Herica Tiburcio has some big shoes to fill

Jessica Penne became the first Invicta atomweight champion and actually the first-ever Incicta champ in any weight class in 2013. Michelle Waterson beat Penne for the 105-pound title in 2013.

Both of those women were marquee stars for Invicta and are now in the UFC. Herica Tiburcio, who stunned Waterson in December to win the belt, will now carry the mantle for the atomweight division. She makes her first title defense against Ayaka Hamasaki on Thursday night.

“I’m not jealous of it,” Tiburcio said through an interpreter of Waterson going into the UFC off a loss. “I congratulate her. I think she did a good job, but I’m with Invicta. This is where I want to be.”

Tiburcio (9-2) has won four straight with her last loss coming against the much, much bigger Claudia Gadelha. The 22-year-old Brazilian has a chance to become a star in Invicta like her 105-pound predecessors and that path starts this week.

“I still feel a lot of weight on my shoulders, but I’m still confident I can do it,” Tiburcio said. “I still have the same kind of training. Nothing changed.”

One of the best middleweights in the UFC is calling it quits.

Costas Philippou is retiring from competition, UFC senior vice president of public relations Dave Sholler wrote Tuesday on Twitter. Philippou was removed from the UFC rankings this week, prompting speculation as to his status.

@mookiealexander he has indicated to UFC that he has retired. That should end the speculation for you.

— Dave Sholler (@Sholler_UFC) July 7, 2015

Philippou (13-5, 1 NC), a native of Cyprus, was one of the hardest hitting fighters in the division, owning knockout wins over Lorenz Larkin, Tim Boetsch and Jared Hamman. Philippou, 35, accumulated a 6-4 record in the UFC, once ran off five straight victories and also had a win over Uriah Hall in the Ring of Combat organization.

In his last four fights, the Long Island resident had just one victory, the Larkin knockout. The Bellmore Kickboxing product was coming off a unanimous decision loss to Gegard Mousasi in May.

Philippou is a former professional boxer who always excelled in fights standing, but struggled against wrestlers. Mousasi, Francis Carmont and Nick Catone all beat him by taking him down and staying in top position.