It’s hardly surprising to learn that Conor McGregor is not always in ‘The Notorious’ mode.
McGregor has shown what is possible in terms of earning power, with his ability on the microphone just as responsible for his success as his fighting skills.
The Irishman stands alone as the biggest superstar in the UFC and more than any mixed martial artist in history, he has managed to capture the imagination of the mainstream.
The divisive McGregor is well aware of the fact that many UFC pay-per-view buyers tune in with the hope of seeing ‘The Notorious’ knocked out but just as many, if not more, want to see what McGregor will say in his post-fight interview if he comes out on top.
He is must-see television, there’s no denying it, but he’s not always that way.
UFC legend Bas Rutten enjoyed spending time with McGregor recently when the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion asked to train at the Dutchman’s gym.
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Rutten, whose impact on MMA was publicly praised by McGregor in a recent social media post, revealed that the Dubliner is a much different individual in person when there is no cameras around.
“You know, he’s always the same,” Rutten told Submission Radio. “And I said this to other people, Conor’s a different guy when you see him on TV. He knows exactly when to turn it on and how to talk and it’s so well done. All the speeches he does, it’s all different. Like, I’m very boring. I prepare something that I’m going to say and I will say that in 20 interviews. He’s constantly different with everything that he does.
“The fact that he’s here for business and still works out every single day means that he’s busy and he knows what his fighting is. I don’t know what he’s going to choose, I didn’t want to talk about that. I didn’t want to be the guy who was gonna watch him train and to be there. I just came there to say ‘Hey man, great to have you here.’
“He asked about the belts, they were hanging on the wall, and he said ‘my god, that’s the old UFC belts Bas, wow’, and he remembered they put the Dutch flag on it. All these things he knew.
“And then when I read that post, I thought that wow, that was really nice of him. And not only that, he really went into depth in that. So no, I think he’s a really smart guy.
“There’s no profanity around him when he’s walking in the gym. He’s a different guy! And I already said that because I interviewed him a bunch of times and he’s just such a good guy. Except when he goes on TV, then he turns it on and he knows exactly how to make that money.”
