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It remains to be seen what adjustments Conor McGregor makes inside the cage to complete his trilogy vs. Dustin Poirier, but if nothing else, McGregor is bringing a different attitude to the fight. The Irish athlete is fully focused on Poirier; there’s no Manny Pacquiao bout to distract “The Notorious.”
Perhaps more importantly, McGregor is coming into the bout angry. Speaking with his site The Mac Life, McGregor promised violence, “He’s a corpse,” McGregor said (via MMAFighting). “a dead body, a blank face that’s going to get his ass whooped and taken out on a stretcher.”
Beyond his aggressive mentality, McGregor doubled down on his focus on mixed martial arts. There is no boxing match on the horizon, just his showdown with “The Diamond.”
“[We] just focused on mixed martial arts, first of all,” McGregor said. “It was an 85 percent camp for boxing [before UFC 257], for Manny Pacquiao, that’s how the fight came about. It was going to be a charity event, not even under the UFC banner. It was just because he was a southpaw and I felt a bit of pity for him and whatnot, so I’d help him out. And that’s it. It went the way it went and I got a setback in there, but setbacks are a beautiful thing. Defeat is the secret ingredient to success, I say, and it’s put me right where I need to be.”
To finish off the interview, McGregor made his prediction clear, and perhaps offered a hint at his intended strategy: McGregor is going to attack Poirier.
“Every shot I have thrown in this camp is a kill shot, so that’s it. I’m going to kill this man,” McGregor said, “Just a slaughter and a play with a scared little boy. He’s fighting scared like he always does, like they always do against me, so now I’m going to play with the little boy, play with me food, and then just devour it.”
Insomnia
The man Poirier knocked down has issued his own response to the clip. Summary in case Google translate will not function for you: Colby Covington is full of sh*t.
How much do the officials make for their efforts on a pay-per-view event?
From the NSAC meeting this morning:
Poirier vs. McGregor 3 officials
Referee: Herb Dean ($1900 pay)
Judges: Sal D’Amato, Derek Cleary, Junichiro Kamijo ($1600)#UFC264— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) July 7, 2021
I don’t usually post advertisements, but this is pretty funny!
A couple reactions to the NSAC’s shocking (and overdue) ruling on marijuana. Never forget the absolute witch hunt/kangaroo court that attempted to sacrifice Nick Diaz!
Expunge Nick Diaz’s suspension record. Arrest Pat Lundvall https://t.co/NVy5bGUZYv
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) July 7, 2021
How about that! NSAC no longer sanctioning for marijuana. Crazy that in my tenure with UFC I’ve seen NSAC try to suspend Nick Diaz for life for marijuana, to this. Big credit to Exec Director Bob Bennett for spearheading this change. Just don’t show up to fight impaired!
— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) July 7, 2021
Is there such a thing as too many knight-fighting clips? No way!
With sparring like this, it’s unlikely that Ciryl Gane is going to look uncomfortable in a brawl.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Only one thing is guaranteed when Niko Pryce and Michel Pereira face off Saturday night: chaotic violence.
MY GOODNESS @NikoHybridPrice
[ #UFC264 | July 10 | Live on E+ PPV: https://t.co/DZxtGSW1O2 ] pic.twitter.com/ttUHSjBBPk
— UFC (@ufc) July 5, 2021
I don’t know precisely what Canelo has to do with it, but this is a big ol’ right hand knockdown.
Some real elbow savagery in this clip!
Random Land
Nature + art!
This beehive that replaced a statue’s head pic.twitter.com/jd496FWvpl
— J. Motoki (@J_Motoki) July 5, 2021
Midnight Music: I listened to Anthony Bourdain’s top songs of the 1970s playlist tonight, a fun mix of punk-y rock and soul.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.