“Sit back and enjoy the show and, when it’s all said and done, don’t ever fucking doubt me again.”
You know, it’s very easy to dismiss Conor McGregor or dismiss this event.
It’s very easy to laugh at the press conferences and the hype and the idea that someone who has never boxed professionally in his life now gets a shot at an undefeated legend who will go down as one of the greatest of all time.
It’s easy to scoff at the public buying in emotionally and financially to what many are too easily calling a con job.
McGregor doesn’t deserve this fight, they say. He hasn’t earned it, they scowl.
He’s not the hero our kids need, articles read. Pious romanticists compare him to Liam Brady and Paul McGrath and what they did on the big stage. Some have even used the O’Donovan brothers’ rowing success as a reason people should be ashamed of themselves for having the audacity to talk about McGregor.
If you play their game for a while and pretend like the Dubliner’s historic two world titles in the UFC can’t be used as an argument – just to play their game – all you have to do is consider the idea that this man actually has a shot against Floyd Mayweather whether you think he should have it or not. He’s on the big stage now. It doesn’t matter anymore how he got here, come August 26, an Irish man will trade blows with one of the finest pound-for-pound boxers ever and if he even so much as rattles him, then we’ll be telling stories about McGregor in 30 years time and dismissing the next dreamer.
There’s an active community – an Irish one, believe it or not – who don’t want him to succeed because he used his name to get into that position – it doesn’t matter if his name was built mostly with victories and accomplishments. They don’t like that he’s garnered a loyal and aggressive following who will back him to the hilt, however irrationally. And they don’t like how this fight is being sold and pushed.
Fine. But McGregor is a fighter – that’s his sport, not standing and entertaining the crowd. Yes, it makes him more marketable and it sells PPVs but when he’s trading blows with Mayweather and a record number of people are watching, none of that will matter. If he catches him, Jesus if he beats him, the stories won’t be about how many times he said ‘bitch’ or resorted to low blows, it’ll be about a man defying the greatest of odds. The stories in years to come will be about his performance, the thing he actually does for a living.
McGregor is an inspiring character in his own right and he’s been railing against doubters his whole career thus far. In the brilliant new promo for the super fight, put together by Youssef Hannoun, the very best of the Crumlin native’s unshakable belief comes out with some fantastic shots of training.
“One shot is all it takes me.”
There are more onslaughts prevalent in the 4:48 minute piece which features cracking clips from the UFC, from Showtime, from Mayweather Promotions and from The Mac Life.
“They’re all going to eat their words. The whole world is going to eat their words.”
Perhaps something that irks with people is the disrespect McGregor shows a guy like Mayweather who has been doing it for 21 years.
“I don’t give a f**k about his legacy. I’m going to rip him apart.”
In his own words, the time comes for every king.
“In the jungle, one king gets old and then a young gorilla comes up, kills him and takes everything he owns.”
Maybe he will. Maybe he won’t. But he’s got that chance and whatever you think of how he did, it doesn’t matter. He’ll get to throw a punch at history. And he only needs one to land.
Watch the new promo below by Youssef Hannoun.
