A more subdued Conor McGregor dismissed the “myth” about the cardio and conditioning issues he supposedly has.
Fans, fellow fighters, and opponents are well-acquainted with Conor McGregor’s hammer of a left hand. On the flip side, one of the long-running topics of conversation about “The Notorious” in terms of his weaknesses is his gas tank during fights.
Joe Rogan and Firas Zahabi talked about it a couple of years back. As Zahabi theorized, it’s possibly linked to genetics.
“McGregor, look at his stats. It’s all ‘round one knockout, round one knockout, round two knockout.’ He’s fast-twitch, high-leverage left hand. If you take him into deep waters, his fast-twitch muscle fibers cannot metabolize,” Zahabi explained, citing how Floyd Mayweather “let McGregor work for three rounds” to tire him out.
On Thursday, a more subdued McGregor addressed the supposed cardio issues during the UFC 257 pre-fight press conference.
“I think it’s a myth,” McGregor told the media. “Obviously, you had the Diaz one, the first Diaz fight. I went from featherweight and then a month or so later, I was at welterweight. That’s obviously gonna have impact. And there was other issues.
“But I think, overall, it’s a myth. It’s a myth that’s out there and that’s it. I hope we can answer it in time. At some stage, I keep showing up here, someone’s gonna be able to stay in the pocket with me and stay in there and fight with me. And I hope it’s this Saturday night.
“I’m in some shape here at the minute, and I tell you this now: I am coming to put on a masterpiece,” he added.
McGregor did predict a 60-second knockout win over Dustin Poirier in this upcoming rematch. But he hopes for a longer fight at the same time, given the shortage of action he got in 2020.
“I have put in a lot of work to get myself correctly to the 155-pound frame,” he said. “I got 40 seconds inside the Octagon 2020, which caused major frustration. It’s not enough. I need more.
“So I’m gonna go in there and I believe I can get him out there and possibly will hit him early and hurt him. But I hope for a good, long bout.”
UFC 257 happens this Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Co-headlining the event is the debut of ex-Bellator champion Michael Chandler, who takes on number six-ranked contender Dan Hooker.