Setting the tone.
Conor McGregor may have appeared far too charged at the UFC 189 weigh-ins but, it appears, that is where the seeds of his title victory were planted.
The Irishman had to be separated from fellow interim belt challenger Chad Mendes and, following the weigh-in, clashed with his stable-mate Urijah Faber.
McGregor says that their short time together, on-stage, during that July 10 event formed a plan of attack in his head.
He commented, ‘When we were coming to the weigh-in, I just wanted to go face to face. Let’s go face to face and square-off here. But he was bouncing around and clapping his hands.
‘Dana [White] was separating us and I said “Let us come face to face. Let him stand here and look me in the eye”.’
McGregor continued, ‘It didn’t happen so we left the stage and I thought “He’s enjoying this. He’s playing the game. He doesn’t… this is no game here.”
‘I said to myself after the weigh-ins, “Tomorrow night there will be no bouncing around. We’re going to be face to face and we will see then”.’
‘So, when we came face to face, I said to him, “Let’s see who takes a back step now. Let’s see who takes the first back step”.’
‘I marched forward and he took the first back step.
‘That was the fight.’
McGregor landed a couple of big shots in the opening exchanges and fended off a Mendes take-down attempt.
He credits Mendes for landing ‘a couple of big shots’ but insists he was rarely troubled during the bout.
End-game arrived, for Mendes, in the final seconds of round two.
McGregor Silences Critics Finishes Mendes In 2nd
Story: http://t.co/pVo1kqS0Zt pic.twitter.com/eE1XDznwKP— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2015
