Conor McGregor’s striking coach Owen Roddy is certain that the cracks are showing on Floyd Mayweather ahead of his bout with “The Notorious” And, if he is right, McGregor will walk away from the T-Mobile Arena on Aug. 26 a clear and convincing winner: “He’s one of the best to ever do it, but it doesn’t […]
Conor McGregor’s striking coach Owen Roddy is certain that the cracks are showing on Floyd Mayweather ahead of his bout with “The Notorious” And, if he is right, McGregor will walk away from the T-Mobile Arena on Aug. 26 a clear and convincing winner: “He’s one of the best to ever do it, but it doesn’t […]
Conor McGregor has shown nothing but confidence regarding his August 26 boxing match with 49-0 Floyd “Money” Mayweather. His longtime striking coach Owen Roddy also appears to be nothing but confident regarding the Irishman’s chances against “Money”: “I have no doubt in my mind he’s gonna do it,” Roddy told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition […]
Conor McGregor has shown nothing but confidence regarding his August 26 boxing match with 49-0 Floyd “Money” Mayweather. His longtime striking coach Owen Roddy also appears to be nothing but confident regarding the Irishman’s chances against “Money”:
Due to the fact that McGregor, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, has never competed in a professional boxing match, many are giving him a slim chance to topple Mayweather, a man many consider to be the best boxer of his generation.
With that being said, Roddy is well aware that the challenge at hand is a ‘tall task’, but he feels as if McGregor is ‘capable’ of getting the job done:
“It’s a tall task,” Roddy said. “But if anybody could do it, Conor can. He shocks the world every time. Every time he fights he’s doubted, people are like, ‘You cant do this, you cant do that.’
“We know what Conor is capable of. Conor does it every time.”
Not only does Roddy feel as if McGregor will get the job, but he even went as far as to predict a knockout victory for the “Notorious” one:
“I think he’s gonna put him away,” Roddy said. “I think he’s gonna KO him. I think it’ll take a couple of rounds. And I know my phone is about to explode, I’m sure. But look, Conor does these things. He does these exceptional things all the time. If he says he’s gonna go in and knock him out, I think he’s gonna go in and knock him out.”
As far as a specific game plan goes, Roddy wasn’t willing to get into the details, but he did admit that he sees some holes in Mayweather’s game, which is a bold claim considering the former five division world champion has come out on top against some of the very best boxers of this generation throughout his unbeaten career:
“I don’t really want to get into details on what we’re looking to do,” Roddy said. “But, I mean, nobody is perfect. Nobody is perfect. [Mayweather is] unbelievable defensively, he’s pound-for-pound one of the greatest, but everybody has holes, everybody makes mistakes, everybody has predictable patterns that they do over and over again.”
At the end of the day, Roddy feels as if McGregor’s power and reflexes will be the difference on fight night:
“Conor hits like a middleweight,” Roddy said. “You can ask any of the middleweights in our gym. He hits as hard, if not harder. It’s strange. He’s got cat-like reflexes. He’s so quick on his slips and his pulls. He’s very accurate as well. I think he’s gonna slip and fire and Mayweather will be on wobbly legs. It might be a counter, too. That’s what I see. That’s what I see in my head.”
What type of performance are you expecting from McGregor on August 26 in Las Vegas?
Knockout machine and UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to punch his way towards a second title at November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York when he takes on reigning 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez. After two fights at welterweight against Nate Diaz, the 145-pound titleholder will look to become the
Knockout machine and UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor will attempt to punch his way towards a second title at November 12’s UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York when he takes on reigning 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez. After two fights at welterweight against Nate Diaz, the 145-pound titleholder will look to become the first man in promotional history to hold two titles simultaneously, and his striking coach, Owen Roddy, has no issue seeing this taking place.
Although he did note that McGregor will have to prepare for Alvarez’s wrestling, Roddy said on a recent edition of Submission Radio that it’ll only be ‘a matter of time before Alvarez goes to sleep’:
“I honestly never really change my prediction because I see what Conor does day in, day out in the gym. I see how clean his striking is and I see how powerful he is. And I honestly think Alvarez has been dropped a few times and stuff like that. So I mean, that’s not good knowing when you’re going in to fight Conor McGregor. If you’ve been dropped before and you’re going in fighting Conor McGregor, there’s a very, very high chance that you’re going to be dropped again. Alvarez is a great wrestler, so there will be things we’ll be working on with Conor to make sure that Alvarez can’t keep a hold of him, can’t keep him against the fence, but Conor’s gonna land and I think it’s going to be a matter of time before Alvarez goes to sleep to be totally honest.”
McGregor himself also predicted a first round finish over “The Silent Assassin” at last week’s press conference.
As far as the striking department goes, McGregor may indeed hold the advantage over Alvarez, who’s coming off of a brutal stoppage victory over Rafael dos Anjos last July. The Irishman, however, has suffered all three of his career losses by way of submission which could boost Alvarez’s confidence as the champion likely has the superior grappling.
In the end, styles make fights, and this ‘super fight’ should prove to be an exciting contest.
Who do you see taking home lightweight gold next month?
One of the big back-and-forth arguments that took place prior to the UFC announcing Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez for UFC 205 centered around any injuries for “Notorious.”
Owen Roddy, the head striking coach for the UFC featherweight champion, told Submission Radio recently that McGregor escaped the fight without any serious injury.
“No. No. Nothing really. Conor’s leg is perfectly fine. So yeah, no. As I said, after the Diaz fight, he was back moving around within days,” he said. “So he’s good to go and we have six weeks now. So he’ll be firing on all cylinders from now till the fight.”
McGregor will challenge Alvarez for the lightweight title, giving him the chance to be the first-ever dual UFC champion. Two previous fighters, BJ Penn and Randy Couture, have held belts in multiple weight classes at different times.
“Yeah I do in a sense. No disrespect to Alvarez, he is a great fighter and stuff, but he does move similar to a lot of people that Conor has fought. And even when Conor’s fought strikers, they all become that type of fighter. When Conor lands, you become a panicked wrestler, and that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “Conor’s very clean, and when it comes to a couple of exchanges, Alvarez is going to feel the difference in accuracy and the difference in power and he will start to wrestle and that’s what they all do. So I mean, Conor’s fought the same type of person all his career. Alvarez is a great wrestler, so there will be things we’ll be working on with Conor to make sure that Alvarez can’t keep a hold of him, can’t keep him against the fence, but Conor’s gonna land and I think it’s going to be a matter of time before Alvarez goes to sleep to be totally honest.”
Roddy also believes that 155 pounds is the right spot for McGregor moving forward, but he isn’t ruling out a title defense at 145 just yet, either.
“For me, this is it. This is where you’re going to see the best Conor McGregor. I was talking to somebody else about this the other day, that fighting at welterweight, it’s hard for Conor to maintain his high output for 25 minutes. He’s not a welterweight. And he did it against one of the toughest fighters in the game, against Diaz, but it’s just that it’s not his weight category. And then when he moved to 145, he does a lot to get the weight off,” he said. “He makes the weight perfect, but I don’t know how much he’s recovering in that 24 hours. I can’t imagine him getting back to one hundred percent in that 24 hours when he fights at 145 – and you see what he does at 145. But at 155, if you look at some of the fights in Cage Warriors, he just looks so good at that weight. That’s the weight he was supposed to be fighting at. And I think you’ll see the fastest, the fittest and the sharpest in regards to his mind, the sharpest McGregor that you will ever see now at lightweight.
“I’m up in the air. I don’t actually know, to be totally honest. You never know. Like I said, Conor controls who he wants to fight and whatnot. The 145 weight category, I mean, I really don’t know. Maybe if Edgar had beat Aldo, then it would have been a more tempting fight. But the fact that he beat Aldo obviously in thirteen seconds, it’s not as tempting to go back down there. But who knows, Conor could just turn around and say, ‘look, I want to go back and do this. I’m gonna go back and sort Aldo out’ – and he will and he could do it. Like, he could definitely make that weight. It is hard, it’s difficult, but he could do it. And the last weight cut against Aldo was the best cut he’s ever had to 145. Like, it was the best that I’ve ever seen him. The comparison between that and the (Chad) Mendes (fight), just the difference, it was just a complete – the Aldo weight cut was perfect and he was in great form for the cut and everything. So he can do it and the last one he’s done was perfect, so he could do it again. But who knows. Who knows what’s around the corner. I never know. That’s what’s so exciting about being part of Conor’s team, you never know what’s next. Like, you really don’t. After the Diaz fight, I was like, we’ll go back down and do Aldo or we might do Diaz again, and then the Alvarez thing popped up and now that’s what we’re doing. Now it’s New York and it’s crazy, it’s exciting and it’s unbelievable. But that’s the road we’re all on with Conor. Like, who knows where were going next? It’s great.”
One of the big back-and-forth arguments that took place prior to the UFC announcing Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez for UFC 205 centered around any injuries for “Notorious.”
Owen Roddy, the head striking coach for the UFC featherweight champion, told Submission Radio recently that McGregor escaped the fight without any serious injury.
“No. No. Nothing really. Conor’s leg is perfectly fine. So yeah, no. As I said, after the Diaz fight, he was back moving around within days,” he said. “So he’s good to go and we have six weeks now. So he’ll be firing on all cylinders from now till the fight.”
McGregor will challenge Alvarez for the lightweight title, giving him the chance to be the first-ever dual UFC champion. Two previous fighters, BJ Penn and Randy Couture, have held belts in multiple weight classes at different times.
“Yeah I do in a sense. No disrespect to Alvarez, he is a great fighter and stuff, but he does move similar to a lot of people that Conor has fought. And even when Conor’s fought strikers, they all become that type of fighter. When Conor lands, you become a panicked wrestler, and that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “Conor’s very clean, and when it comes to a couple of exchanges, Alvarez is going to feel the difference in accuracy and the difference in power and he will start to wrestle and that’s what they all do. So I mean, Conor’s fought the same type of person all his career. Alvarez is a great wrestler, so there will be things we’ll be working on with Conor to make sure that Alvarez can’t keep a hold of him, can’t keep him against the fence, but Conor’s gonna land and I think it’s going to be a matter of time before Alvarez goes to sleep to be totally honest.”
Roddy also believes that 155 pounds is the right spot for McGregor moving forward, but he isn’t ruling out a title defense at 145 just yet, either.
“For me, this is it. This is where you’re going to see the best Conor McGregor. I was talking to somebody else about this the other day, that fighting at welterweight, it’s hard for Conor to maintain his high output for 25 minutes. He’s not a welterweight. And he did it against one of the toughest fighters in the game, against Diaz, but it’s just that it’s not his weight category. And then when he moved to 145, he does a lot to get the weight off,” he said. “He makes the weight perfect, but I don’t know how much he’s recovering in that 24 hours. I can’t imagine him getting back to one hundred percent in that 24 hours when he fights at 145 – and you see what he does at 145. But at 155, if you look at some of the fights in Cage Warriors, he just looks so good at that weight. That’s the weight he was supposed to be fighting at. And I think you’ll see the fastest, the fittest and the sharpest in regards to his mind, the sharpest McGregor that you will ever see now at lightweight.
“I’m up in the air. I don’t actually know, to be totally honest. You never know. Like I said, Conor controls who he wants to fight and whatnot. The 145 weight category, I mean, I really don’t know. Maybe if Edgar had beat Aldo, then it would have been a more tempting fight. But the fact that he beat Aldo obviously in thirteen seconds, it’s not as tempting to go back down there. But who knows, Conor could just turn around and say, ‘look, I want to go back and do this. I’m gonna go back and sort Aldo out’ – and he will and he could do it. Like, he could definitely make that weight. It is hard, it’s difficult, but he could do it. And the last weight cut against Aldo was the best cut he’s ever had to 145. Like, it was the best that I’ve ever seen him. The comparison between that and the (Chad) Mendes (fight), just the difference, it was just a complete – the Aldo weight cut was perfect and he was in great form for the cut and everything. So he can do it and the last one he’s done was perfect, so he could do it again. But who knows. Who knows what’s around the corner. I never know. That’s what’s so exciting about being part of Conor’s team, you never know what’s next. Like, you really don’t. After the Diaz fight, I was like, we’ll go back down and do Aldo or we might do Diaz again, and then the Alvarez thing popped up and now that’s what we’re doing. Now it’s New York and it’s crazy, it’s exciting and it’s unbelievable. But that’s the road we’re all on with Conor. Like, who knows where were going next? It’s great.”
Although all signs point to Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II as the next fight for UFC’s reigning 145-pound champion, “The Notorious” one’s striking coach, Owen Roddy, likes the idea of McGregor battling New Jersey’s favorite son in the first ever UFC event at Madison Square Garden.
McGregor’s striking coach told SkySports.com the following about a potential McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar fight for UFC’s debut event at the world’s most famous arena:
“That would be amazing, realistically that would be huge for the first New York show. Madison Square Garden would be fantastic.
“[McGregor and Edgar could fight] at featherweight or even at lightweight—Frankie spends a lot of time there, and he was the lightweight champion. But if Conor is on the card, it would be huge anywhere.”
As noted, the next fight for McGregor is expected to be announced this week, and is believed to be a welterweight rematch against Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 200 at the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, July 9, 2016.
Although all signs point to Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II as the next fight for UFC’s reigning 145-pound champion, “The Notorious” one’s striking coach, Owen Roddy, likes the idea of McGregor battling New Jersey’s favorite son in the first ever UFC event at Madison Square Garden.
McGregor’s striking coach told SkySports.com the following about a potential McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar fight for UFC’s debut event at the world’s most famous arena:
“That would be amazing, realistically that would be huge for the first New York show. Madison Square Garden would be fantastic.
“[McGregor and Edgar could fight] at featherweight or even at lightweight—Frankie spends a lot of time there, and he was the lightweight champion. But if Conor is on the card, it would be huge anywhere.”
As noted, the next fight for McGregor is expected to be announced this week, and is believed to be a welterweight rematch against Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 200 at the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, July 9, 2016.
